


Scenarios: Being Queen

by adcgordon



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 11:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adcgordon/pseuds/adcgordon
Summary: After surviving six years of struggle and coming out ahead of the chaos, Felicity couldn't imagine anything but happiness in her new family, until...





	1. Mom

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Arrow Friends and Fans! This is my first attempt at a FanFic story for this fandom. If you've read any of my other stories (Mainly High School Musical) you know that I'm a sucker for romance with just a bit of angst and chaos. I hope you'll indulge me on this one as I attempt to look beyond Season 6 and continue shipping Olicity!
> 
> I LOVE your comments and my muse often feeds off readers' responses, so please, please, PLEASE let me know what you think - long responses and PM's are more than welcome. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading and giving my ideas a chance!  
> KTOLF (Keep The Olicity Love Flowing!)  
> -ADCG

**Chapter One - Mom**

The buzzing phone wasn't a surprise by any means at 4:30 in the afternoon but Felicity was surprised to see the caller i.d. listing her ob/gyn's number. Her eyebrows crinkled slightly as she grabbed the phone and put her index finger in the air, signaling to her stepson that she would be back with him in just a minute.

William sat at the kitchen counter, looking at a laptop with several tabs open, trying to do research for his latest school paper. Writing was not his subject, math was more his 'thing', just like his stepmother. But, both had come to the realization that other school subjects were also important. So, Felicity was doing her best to help William.

Both knew better than to ask William's father. As much as Oliver wanted to help, he was much better at 'real-life' scenarios and common sense than any book learning. While they wouldn't admit it to his face – actually, yes, they would – the idea of Oliver helping William with a research and writing project had brought smiles and snorts of laughter to the man's wife and son. (To which, he had promptly rolled his eyes, turned his back and walked to his bedroom to sulk.)

William took his hand off the keyboard when Felicity walked away and headed to the refrigerator to get a snack. She had wandered to the living room and was sitting on the couch, certainly not out of earshot of the 12 year old.

"Hello, this is Felicity Queen," Felicity smiled to herself. She still got a few chills hearing that name come from her own mouth.

_"_ _Felicity, hi, this is Dr. Barton. I've finally had a chance to really sit down and look at some of your test results and the conversations we've had over the past couple of months. I apologize that it's taken me so long. Do you have a few minutes that we can chat?"_

Felicity sat a little farther back on the couch cushions and leaned back, trying to get comfortable as she listened to the older woman.

"Sure, is this something I need to make an appointment to discuss? I'm sure Oliver and I could find a time in the next few days to come in," she sounded hopefully although her gut reaction told her that the doctor wasn't calling with happy news.

_"_ _That will probably be a good idea but this isn't an emergency situation. We can certainly chat on the phone if that's ok and then the two of you can talk and get back in touch with me if you want."_

"Okaaayyy," Felicity felt butterflies flitting nervously in her abdomen. "So why the phone call, Dr. Barton?"

_"_ _When you came in last month you said that you and Oliver were considering having a baby. You wanted to discuss those possibilities with me because of your unique situation – with the bio-stimulator in particular."_

"Right," Felicity answered.

_"_ _You still have the I.U.D. in place, is that correct?"_

"Yes," she answered simply. "I, um, when I was paralyzed I had it removed just to avoid further complications. But when I was able to walk again and …  _that_  became part of my life again … I had it … put in place  _again_."

Felicity was aware that William was nearby but felt pretty fixated in her seat. She hoped that his pre-teen mind wouldn't actually pick up on anything from her single side of the conversation.

_"_ _Ok,"_ Dr. Barton took a short breath before continuing.  _"From your bloodwork and charts that you've been sending to us, the good news is that everything appears just fine. Your ovaries are functioning just fine. Your periods are regular and you are producing eggs. Quite often, with paralysis victims who regain some bodily functions, reproduction is one thing that does not return. That isn't your case, Felicity, and it's quite amazing. The bio-stimulator didn't just allow you to walk again, it apparently has helped your reproductive system as well."_

Felicity smiled. She let out a somewhat shaky breath that she had been holding. She had done her research soon after Oliver had let her back into his life and William's.

She knew that the birth control device might be unnecessary. If her system had stopped working with her paralysis, the I.U.D. didn't really matter at all. But she didn't want to discuss it with Oliver, not yet at least. She really hadn't even wanted to think about it.

And yet, a joking conversation with William, soon after Oliver's prison release, had forced her to give it serious thought.

_"_ _I guess I should come up with another name for Felicity…or start calling her 'mom'…before my little brother or sister gets here," William rolled his eyes and cringed at the thoughts going through his mind. "Otherwise that'll just be confusing for everyone."_

_Oliver had blushed profusely. Felicity had nearly swallowed her tongue, attempting to babble her way out of the situation. William had also blushed and laughed, calling out his parents for the amount of time they spent invading each other's personal space._

_The embarrassment hadn't put a damper on their activities. However, it had put the question into both of their minds and Oliver didn't hesitate to ask it after they made love that night._

_"_ _You're thinking about what William said tonight, aren't you?" he placed a kiss in her hair and curled his fingers around her bicep, wanting to hold her body close to him to read her complete reaction to his gentle inquisition._

_Felicity placed her own kiss on the scar that sat below Oliver's ribs. She splayed her fingers over his abdomen and caressed it easily. Her eyes watched her fingers, not really knowing how to answer her husband._

_"_ _What William should call me? I actually have thought about it," she continued before Oliver could interrupt. "I don't know if I'm really 'mom' material…"_

_"_ _Hey," Oliver jumped on that comment easily._

_"_ _No, I mean, particularly for William. I mean, his mom is Samantha Clayton. He knows her as his mother and I don't want to take that away from him at all. He deserves to remember her completely as his mom," she explained._

_Oliver nodded against the top of her head and let out a light breath against her hair. "But you've been his mother, Felicity. When he was scared that he might be an orphan. When I was taken into custody. When the two of you were in protective custody… you were all he had. You were his mother, his father…you were his world for months. And even when you came back home… Samantha's not here. William knows that. He knows she isn't coming back. And he knows that you are doing your absolute best to fill that void for him."_

_Felicity felt a warmth run through her at Oliver's impromptu speech._

_"_ _If he wants to call you 'mom'… I just think… Felicity, I think it's a high compliment from our son and I think you should let him."_

_She smiled and placed another kiss against his ribs. She nuzzled her nose against the same spot before turning her face upwards to look at her husband._

_Felicity smiled wider at the stubborn, squared jaw that Oliver always displayed when he was determined to prove something. She reached up with her fingertips and ran them through his beard, bringing his attention to her face._

_"_ _Our son?" she questioned._

_"_ _Yes, absolutely yes," Oliver nodded in keeping with the serious look on his face. "William is our son. I won't let you argue against that fact."_

_Felicity smiled at him and nodded softly in agreement. She laid her head down on Oliver's chest, waiting for the next part of the discussion…the one she had somewhat hoped to deter._

_"_ _Which leads me to what I was actually going to ask you about…" Oliver gently linked his fingers with hers on his chest. He looked at the wedding band on her finger and used his thumb to twirl it slowly._

_"_ _Arguing facts?" She attempted to joke._

_Oliver squeezed her fingers. "A baby..." he licked his lips and let his teeth graze over his bottom lip as he thought. "Felicity, William was a complete surprise to me. You know that. The idea of having a child…a baby…" he puffed air into his cheeks and shook his head ever-so-slightly. "Do you WANT a baby? Do you want us to have…"_

_Felicity held her breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. She pulled her hand away from Oliver's only to place her fingernails in her mouth. She moved her cheek against his warm skin but couldn't bring herself to say anything._

_"_ _If you don't," Oliver whispered, "it's fine, Felicity, really it is. I will tell you that I have thought about it. God, there were some nights in that prison that the only way I got through them was by dreaming about us and our family. Me, you, William, and… and our baby." He looked down at her laying quietly, nibbling on her fingernails, and knew she was nervous._

_"_ _But we've never really talked about having a baby. And if you don't want that, I completely understand," he continued quickly. "You're mom to a pre-teen and you were completely thrown into that job. I'm sorry –"_

_Felicity raised her head up at that thought and propped herself up using her forearm on the mattress. The hand that had been against her lips quickly moved back to his chest, on top of his hand, steadying her body._

_"_ _Don't," she shook her head and looked seriously into Oliver's eyes. "Don't apologize for that. I love William. I had months of opportunities to back out on you – both of you. Being with you and with William was my choice. Oliver, being with the two of you is probably the best decision I've ever made in my life. Don't you ever apologize for bringing me into William's life – or bringing him into mine. He is MY son. You're right. He is our son and I want him to know that."_

_She stopped and let her eyes shift back and forth over Oliver's._

_"_ _But?" Oliver wondered._

_"_ _No buts," Felicity slowly shook her head. "With the way I grew up, I never thought about my wedding… you know that. And… I never really thought about having kids. I don't know." She took a moment to run the tip of her index finger over Oliver's lips. She watched her finger and then looked back into his eyes._

_"_ _I'm not completely sold on the idea…it's kinda scary to imagine myself holding a… a baby. But, with you," she pressed her lips together and shrugged one shoulder, "I'm not completely against it either."_

_At her nervous positivity, Oliver's lips turned upwards. "So… it's up for further discussions?" He raised his head to steal a kiss._

_When she didn't pull away Oliver continued the kiss, slid his tongue along her lips and urged her for more. Felicity found herself on her back, arms wrapped around her husband's neck, fingers running through his hair while he kissed his way around her ear and down her neck._

_She laughed breathlessly, causing Oliver to lift his head momentarily to look into her face._

_"_ _Is this what you mean by 'further discussions'?" she grinned at him with her top teeth sitting on her bottom lip._

_Oliver laughed and cocked his eyebrows up and down. Instead of a verbal answer he dipped his head to that spot where her neck and collarbone met. The sound she always made when his lips found that particular location was all the discussion he needed._

* * *

 

Now here she sat, receiving what sounded to be good news from the woman who could become her obstetrician. But there still seemed to be a cloud hanging over this conversation.

_"_ _So if you and Oliver are considering getting pregnant, the first step you'll want to take is having the I.U.D. removed. But Felicity…"_

Dr. Barton hesitated and Felicity's momentary high started a slow tumble.

_"_ _I have serious concerns about you being pregnant with the bio-stimulator in place. It's unprecedented, as you know. While it probably did help your reproductive system survive your trauma, we don't know how it might affect a baby in utero. And I, honestly, in the later stages, the last trimester of a pregnancy, a growing baby could cause more trauma to your spinal cord. If the baby presses against the stimulator or somehow knocks it out of place… You could end up paralyzed again, before the baby is born."_

Felicity stared at the wall across the room. A part of her had fully expected the test results to show that she couldn't get pregnant, period. She had prepared herself for that, at least slightly. But this kind of information wasn't something her brain could accept.

In that moment she pictured herself, in a hospital bed, feeling much like she had after being shot and Oliver hadn't visited her. Only in this current vision her stomach was swollen with an unborn child, fifty bazillion cords and tubes strung from her body and monitors blaring at every decibel.

Her tears and fears immediately went into overdrive. Emotions she hadn't allowed herself to imagine suddenly invaded every part of her.

_"_ _Felicity?"_ The doctor wanted her attention again.  _"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw that at you. But I know you've been waiting for answers. And I didn't want you getting over-zealous without getting these concerns on the table. It's a discussion for you and Oliver. There are a lot of 'what-if's' involved here. You could have a completely normal pregnancy and that is what we would aim for you. I just believe you should consider it a high risk pregnancy going in. While we aim for completely normal, we would still want to take additional precautions and monitor you and the baby very closely."_

"Okay," was the only word Felicity could get out to let the doctor know that she was still listening.

She glanced toward the kitchen and saw William leaning against the counter, eating an apple. She tried to smile at him but knew William was more perceptive.

_"_ _Talk to Oliver,"_ Dr. Barton was finishing.  _"If pregnancy is in your future, talk to him. You two come in here together and we will talk it out. We can look at your options and loop in some other specialists if you want. I don't want to discourage you at all. I just want you to be aware…both of you."_

"Okay," Felicity said again as she tried to wipe away her tears inconspicuously. "Um, thank you, Dr. Barton. I…I do appreciate you calling."

She ended the call but kept her back turned toward William. Ever since the name debate he had gone back and forth between calling her 'Felicity' and 'mom'. Felicity hadn't minded it at all. Often times it depended on the situation and what William had to gain.

"Mom?" This time, his young voice nearly made her crumble.

"Will," she couldn't mask the tears in her voice, "Can you just…can you give me a few minutes, please?"

William stood for a moment, wondering what he could do to help. He didn't say anything more or ask any questions. He just watched her closely.

After a few minutes Felicity stood from the couch and headed toward her bedroom. She was torn between pacing the width of the room and simply curling herself into the fetal position on the bed. Her compromise was pulling a suitcase from the closet and stuffing random clothes into it.

It was one of the very few times in her life when Felicity needed her mother. She had no clue what she would say to Donna Smoak when she arrived in Las Vegas, but she was very sure her mom would wrap her arms around her and simply hold her.

So would Oliver. But she couldn't even look him in the eyes at that moment. Oliver used to say he had 'failed his city'. Felicity turned those words around on herself. She felt she had failed him. And until she could wrap her own head around this situation she would pull something else from the old Oliver Queen files.

She wouldn't face him…she would run.

**Chapter One - Mom**


	2. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2... let's call it the boys' point of view! I am now addicted to YouTube videos and Pinterest boards that are Olicity themed! Go Figure! lol! :D
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you'll enjoy! And remember, your reviews feed my muse! ;)
> 
> KTOLF (Keep the Olicity Love Flowing!)  
> -adcg

**Chapter Two – Silence**

Oliver's phone rang just as he was getting ready to leave his office at City Hall. William's picture popped onto the screen as the ringtone sounded, leading the city's Deputy Mayor to smile.

What would be for dinner tonight?

"Hey Buddy! Who's cooking tonight? Or is your mom ready to eat out?" he joked.

_"_ _Dad, did mom…did Felicity call you?"_  William's nervous voice made Oliver stop.

"No," he paused, "Whyyy?"

William paused as well. Felicity had barely said a word to him after her phone conversation. William knew she had talked to a doctor. He knew she had tried to shield him from the conversation and her reaction – which appeared to be complete sadness – when she hung up the phone. And he had listened as carefully as he possibly could when she came pulling a small suitcase out of the bedroom and told him  _not_  to call Oliver for at least an hour.

_"_ _I'm fine, Will. I will be. I just need some time. I need my mom."_

_"_ _She went to DD's,_ " William said plainly.

"Whaaat?" Oliver asked in disbelief. "William what happened there this afternoon?"

William took a deep breath.  _"Can you just come home, please?"_  he requested something simple from his father.

"Yeah… yeah, Buddy, I'm on my way." Oliver ended the call with his son and immediately dialed another number.

_"_ _Hi! You've reached Felicity Smoak…Queen… Sorry, still getting used to that! I can't catch your call right now, so leave me a blip and I'll call ya back."_

Directly to voice mail…Oliver grit his teeth together with a little frustration but mainly worry. What on earth would send her running, to Las Vegas… to Donna… without calling him first?

He looked at his watch and calculated the time difference between Star City and Las Vegas. Honestly, it didn't matter. As he slid into his car he hit the button to dial Donna Smoak's number. He wasn't sure he wanted to talk to Felicity's mom at that very moment, but if she had any information, he needed to know.

_"_ _Hello?"_ Felicity's mom answered without hesitation.

"Donna? It's Oliver. Is Felicity there?" He knew the answer before he finished the question. Donna was a thousand miles away. Unless his wife took the  _Barry 'Flash' Allen_  mode of transportation, she was still in route.

_"_ _Nooo, Sweetheart, why would she be here with me when she has YOU at home?"_ Donna chuckled.

"I'm trying to figure that out myself," Oliver commented. "William just called me and said she was going to your place. Do you know why?"

_"_ _She's what?"_ Donna scrunched her eyebrows together and reached to the back of her head to play with her ponytail of red hair.  _"I haven't talked to her since last week, Oliver. The last thing I talked to Felicity about was William's research project and how much I used to hate trying to help her with homework."_

"So she hasn't called you?" Oliver was beginning to get more worried by the moment.

_"_ _No, Sweety, I'm sorry."_ Donna as well felt a little worried now.  _"Oliver, seriously, why do you think she's coming to me?"_

Oliver watched the traffic as he pulled out of the parking garage onto the street. "I have no idea, Donna. Will just called me and said she was heading to 'DD's' and asked me to come home."

Donna smiled easily, hearing the term of endearment her step-grandson had chosen to use for her.  _Grandma_ or  _Bubbe_  were not names she had dreamed of being called by her grandchildren – if God blessed her with grandchildren. She imagined herself being more in-tune with the younger generation so her grand-maternal instincts begged for a more innovative moniker.

_'DD' came about when William attempted to call her Grandma Donna, then GD for short, which caused Felicity a near aneurysm. So they narrowed their focus to a repetitive letter that stood for something along the lines of Dear Donna, or Darling Donna._

The fact that William even considered calling her something familial sent Donna Smoak over the moon.

She shook herself out of those happy, entertaining thoughts as she focused on what Oliver was saying.

_"_ _William's at home alone?"_  Donna wasn't sure what she was asking about now, nor who she was more concerned about.

"He's 12. He's got Raisa on speed dial. And, he's perfectly capable to be there for a few hours by himself," Oliver quipped.

_"_ _I know, oh, I know, Hon. I just… Felicity… I don't understand, Oliver,"_ Donna stumbled.

"Neither do I, Donna," Oliver admitted. "Let me get home and see if I can figure this out. William probably knows more than he was telling me. I just need to get home and talk to him."

_"_ _Ok. Yeah, you're probably right. Talk to him, Oliver. And then call me back, okay?"_

"I will. And Donna, if you hear from her you'll call me, right?" Oliver practically pleaded. "Are you at home?"

_"_ _I'll head home in the next little bit, Sweetheart. And yes, I promise you, even if she doesn't want me to call, I'll let you know if she gets here."_

"When-" Oliver corrected. "Let me know  _when_  she gets there, okay?"

Donna nodded, clued in to Oliver's distress by the simple sound of his voice.

Both ended the call with thoughts of the woman they both loved more than they could express.

* * *

 

William had the tv on for noise, and the laptop computer in his lap, still attempting to work on his project – which was another bit of instruction Felicity had given him as she hurried out the door. But as soon as the front door opened he was off the couch and waiting for his father to walk in.

"She got a phone call…it was a Dr. Morton, or Barton maybe…" William started before Oliver could even close the door.

Oliver tossed his jacket onto the back of the couch and turned around to face his son, putting his hands on William's shoulders.

"Okay," he looked into the boy's eyes. "Take a breath and then calmly tell me what happened since you got home from school."

William did as he was told, taking a slow, deep breath and then letting it out while his dad watched him. He blinked a couple of times and then pointed over toward the kitchen counter where he and Felicity had gone to work on his school project.

"As soon as I got home and changed clothes, Felicity made me sit down to start working on my research project. She was helping me find websites with the information that I needed and we were talking about what I needed to know, how to look up the stuff on the internet, and how to put that into the project. It was a pretty normal afternoon." William shrugged his shoulders and looked at Oliver with wide eyes.

"Then, around 4:30, her phone rang. She answered it and sat down on the couch. I heard her say, 'Dr. Barton,' I'm pretty sure that was it. She said the name a couple of times. Mom didn't say much but she started looking kind of sad, kind of scared, almost. Then, after she hung up I tried to ask her if she was ok and I think she started crying. She went into your room and the next thing I knew she was pulling a suitcase and going out the front door."

Oliver listened to him carefully. He racked his brain trying to remember a Dr. Barton. Was that someone who helped implant the bio-stimulator? He couldn't think of anyone's name in that moment.

"What makes you think she's going to DD's, Will?" Oliver wondered if there was still a piece missing.

William nervously shrugged a single shoulder. "She said not to call you for at least an hour after she left…and that she needed her mom."

Oliver's eyes widened. Had he done something wrong? Had something else from his past been shoved at Felicity? Why did she need to run to Donna – and why would she make William wait to inform him? Unless she didn't want to take the chance of Oliver trying to stop her…obviously.

"Dad?" William turned his laptop toward Oliver. "Is this Dr. Barton? What's a…an…obstetrician?"

Oliver's mouth dropped open, his eyes stayed wide and he simply stared at the screen. "Oh," he said breathlessly. Then, after a few seconds he looked back at William. "It's uh…an obste-trician…it's a doctor for…um…for moms." His mouth was suddenly parched.

Oliver turned away from William's questioning face. He knew his son didn't understand exactly what he was trying to say and there was no way he was going to verbalize that Dr. Barton was a doctor for expectant mothers.

_Dear God,_ Oliver put his hands on the back of the couch and looked out the expansive windows over the city,  _is she pregnant? Is this an accidental pregnancy? We talked but if… if she's pregnant now… Please don't let her do anything without talking to me…please._

"Dad?" William broke through his thoughts. "Is Felicity… is Mom okay?"

Oliver turned to face his son with a hint of fear and sadness in his own eyes. "I hope so, Buddy. Let's hope she's on her way to DD's and that your grandmom can chat with her and calm her down until I can get there."

"Wait," William looked curious, "we're going to Vegas?"

Oliver smiled at his son's obvious wish. "No,  _we_  are not going to Vegas. While I know DD would love to see you and have you out there again, I think it's better for me to go and try to straighten things out with your mom, okay? Not to mention you are  _not_  old enough to play the slot machines or count cards. Just because Felicity learned how to beat their system at age 13 doesn't mean you get to."

He took the opportunity to ease the stress of the moment with a smile and a dig at both William and Felicity's intelligence.

"Go back to work on your school project or your other homework, ok? I'm gonna disappear into our room and pack a bag and call Raisa to come stay with you for a few days." Oliver instructed and was happy to see William return to clicking on the keyboard.

"You really do believe she is okay, don't you?" William asked before Oliver got through the bedroom door.

Oliver nodded, still a little nervous about the certainty of his answer. "I think so. But I want to find her and be with her, just to be sure. If we're together I know it'll be okay. I just need to be with her."

William nodded and watched the door close behind his dad. He felt a little better now that his father was able to take charge of the situation. Still he was curious about the phone call, the doctor, and what kind of information would make Felicity bolt.

_Google_ had become his friend under Felicity's tutelage… It was easy enough to put his question into the search bar.  _"What is an obstetrician?"_ With a click of the 'enter' key, he quickly found the answer he was looking for and, much like his father, Williams' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open with the definition:  _An_   _obstetrician is a doctor who specializes in pregnancy, childbirth, and a woman's reproductive system._

_A baby?_  The 12 year old quickly closed the lid of the laptop as if looking at that definition would get him into trouble.  _Why would a baby freak Felicity out?_ Apparently it seemed to have his father a little freaked out as well.

William decided he'd better keep his mouth shut about this information, if he could. If he really was going to become a big brother, but his parents weren't thrilled about it, there must be some factor that he was missing.

But he wanted them to know that they had his full support on this topic.

So he found his easiest subject of homework, math – of course, and went to work on that until Oliver came out of the bedroom with a duffle bag in hand.

"Ok, Raisa will be here in about a half hour. She's stopping for pizza on the way so you can have that for dinner. Behave for her and I will let you know when I get to Vegas. We will be home just as soon as we can."

William nodded in agreement. He gladly accepted the kiss on his forehead from his father but pressed his lips together tightly when Oliver tried to look him in the eye.

"Are you okay, Will?" Oliver wondered? "You understand that I need to find Felicity and figure out what's going on, right? Even if she's with DD, I need to help her."

William nodded again and let his lips fidget with the thoughts going through his young mind.

"What?" Oliver wondered.

"Nothing," William shook his head. "I know she needs you and you need her. Just…please let me know."

"Yeah," Oliver knit his eyebrows together, watching his son. "I will, I promise, as soon as I can."

He threw the duffle bag over his shoulder and reached for the doorknob to leave.

"And, Dad…" the debate in William's mind gave way to the other little life that might be involved in this scenario. "If Felicity is worried about me and the baby…Just tell her I'd love to have a little sister, but I'll be happy either way."

Oliver's heartbeat sped up in his chest. Now how was he supposed to respond to that? He turned around, took a deep breath and smiled at his son. "You looked up what an obstetrician is?"

William nodded sheepishly.

"We don't know yet, Will…okay? I'm having the same thoughts you are apparently, but we don't know yet – if mom is pregnant or not." There, dear God, he had actually said the words. "But I promise you this," Oliver continued, "you will be one of the very first people to know if she is. You are  _our_  son and nothing will change that. Understand?"

William smiled softly with thanks for his father's words.

"Just make sure Feli – Mom – is okay. That's what's most important, right?" William offered.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah."

With that and a quick 'I love you' he was out the door as well. Oliver didn't want to get his hopes up too high. But the idea that Felicity might be carrying their baby…and upset about that idea for whatever reason…was going to make the 4 hour flight a tough one.

**Chapter Two – Silence**


	3. Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well this chapter certainly ended up longer than I expected. There's just something about Mama and Daughter Smoak that is compelling and fun to put into words. I LOVE the character that Charlotte Ross has created in Mama Donna!
> 
> Thank you for reading and giving my story a chance. :) Please leave reviews and feed my muse, lol! Hearing from readers certainly spurs my creative thoughts (as does watching all the Olicity hilites and wondering/waiting for Season 7 to begin this fall, haha).
> 
> Please don't hesitate to PM me if you have additional thoughts to share.
> 
> Thanks Again and KTOLF (Keep the Olicity Love Flowing! ;) )  
> -adcg

**Chapter Three – Talk**

Felicity remembered her grandparents. They were in her life just over a decade but both her Bubbe and her Zayde had shared stories of their upbringing, their struggle for life, and the happiness that both their daughter and granddaughter brought to their lives.

When her emotions and nerves had finally settled down, about 30 minutes into the flight, she thought of them.

She stared out the window at the waning sunlight, the clouds under the plane and the blueness of the sky. Her grandfather, her Zayde, had always told her that the world was at her fingertips. It was one reason she loved information technology, or I.T. Her fingers flew over the keyboards and screens as she put information into the various electronics and she practically soaked in the information that she received in return.

It was a reason Oliver had gotten to know her. It was the reason he had sought her out in the first place at Queen Consolidated. When he needed I.T. help, hers was the name given to him. Now, here they were, 8 years later. She looked at the platinum wedding band on her ring finger and took a second to twirl it with her right middle finger and thumb.

Nothing felt foreign about the object on her finger. It and the Queen family heirloom that served as her engagement ring had felt completely natural when Oliver placed them on her hand. Marrying Oliver – finally, actually, saying 'I Do' and sharing that 'We're-Actually-Pronounced-Man-and-Wife Kiss' – felt right.

That was something her Bubbe, her grandmother, had taught her. When Felicity asked the elderly woman about loving and marrying her Zayde, the woman contemplated the 10 year old's question and answered her simply.  _"It felt right. Being married to him felt natural, as though it's where I was meant to be."_

Felicity remembered her shrugging her shoulders. The answer had been too simple. Felicity had a hard time accepting the answer after watching her own parents' marriage fall apart. She had no clue where her father was at that time and her mother practically denied ever being married.

But now, at age 28, Felicity could understand her Bubbe's simple words. Being married to Oliver felt right, it was one of the most natural things to ever happen in her life. Both of them had tried their darndest to make their relationship complicated. And for four years they had succeeded.

On-again-Off-Again…I love you's; I care for you's; I believe in you's constantly shared with tearful eyes and utter denials that life could be just a little bit better if they would just give in to one another…to love. It had been a vicious cycle that took Nazi aliens to break.

That thought... _THAT_  experience… suddenly made her smile. How many times had she nearly lost Oliver? How many times had she nearly died? How many times had they sent each other away?

Far too many to count.

And yet there was one moment of clarity, far beyond the would-be term limits of Oliver's multiple proposals and pleas for her to be with him. Thank God, in that one moment, Oliver was present and beyond sober enough to accept  _her_  proposal.

Felicity smiled as she thought about that moment. She only slightly regretted the shotgun wedding. More-so, she regretted interrupting Barry and Iris's moment in the sun. BUT, she would never regret having that story to share with their children…just as they had shared it with William.

_Mom proposed to Dad and they were married right there, in Central City Park, on the spot, along with Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris._

Felicity rubbed her fingers around the ring again and turned her eyes back to the window, sadly. A story to share with their children…

That's why she was on this flight. It was a fright flight.

After the call from Dr. Barton she had regressed to her pre-Being-a-Queen mentality. She was thinking of Oliver as 'a Queen', the family that owned the business that hired her for her brains. She was thinking of Oliver, the man who was determined to 'save his city' without letting anyone into his life; the man who would rather be involved with a woman that he really didn't care about.

And, she was reliving every broken moment of their storied relationship.

But that wasn't the man she married, and she knew that. In her heart, she knew that. She knew- she  _knew-_  if she had simply called him, waited for him to get home, gone to his office – he would've made this situation non-critical in a matter of minutes.

That was the  _thing_  that hung her up on this, however. Oliver would ask her how she felt about having a baby. He would ask if she wanted to take the risk. He would ask if perhaps she would want to adopt a baby. He would tell her again that Will was  _their_  son. And however Felicity answered those questions, whatever response she gave him, would become Oliver's answer. Even if it broke his heart, he would agree with her – whatever she wanted.

As much as Felicity loved that about some of their debatable topics, she didn't just want her husband to give in to her feelings on this particular subject. She remembered the look in his eyes the night they actually started discussing the pregnancy point. When he mentioned dreaming about them having a baby of their own…the look Felicity saw in his eyes was reminiscent of his first true 'I love you' after Dig's baby was born; it was filled with the same emotion he had displayed when they first made love in Nanda Parbat; it was the same happiness that made him practically explode when she proposed to him in Central City.

Because he conveyed all those emotions with just one look into her eyes, one short but meaningful confession, she didn't want him to give in to her immediately. They both needed to go through a thought process. They both needed to consider what Dr. Barton was saying, the doctor's concerns and whatever options they might have.  _They_  needed to be open with each other and come to a decision together.

A potentially life or death decision. It was something they had kind of done together for how many years now? So why was this one so different?

Oh yeah… because it was potentially their baby, their child, their family… and Felicity's life on the line.

She held her breath and looked down at her stomach. A little bit of anger made her heartbeat pulse stronger for a moment. Why couldn't this be simple? Why couldn't she have the I.U.D. removed, make love to her husband and then enjoy the amazing sensations of a life growing inside of her? Why couldn't she be on her way to her mother's house with Oliver and William to tell Donna that she would be a grandmother – again? Why couldn't she just stock the fridge full of chocolate ice cream and pickles and all of those other weird food choices that pregnant women experience?

"Damn it," she whispered toward the window.

She wasn't sure if the expletive was caused by all of those 'why' questions…or because they had somehow prodded more tears to form in her eyes.

Felicity breathed in shakily. "Three…" she breathed out a little roughly, "two…" she took a more cleansing breath, "and one," she slowly released that breath and followed it with two more, meditative type repetitions.

Then she closed her eyes and shook her head. Now her relaxation technique made her think of Lamaze classes and giving birth.

It was probably a good thing she was going to her mom's place. This wasn't going to be a quick fix. This would likely take several motherly distractions, including a few glasses of hot milk; probably a bottle or two of wine; more than likely some direct motherly insight from the woman who hadn't seemed to be much of a mom until the past few years; and quite possibly some gambling – emotional gambling, that is.

Felicity breathed deeply again and allowed herself to imagine the positives outweighing the negatives for a few minutes. She closed her eyes, put her hands on her abdomen and tried to imagine what Oliver might have dreamed.

The pure goodness she allowed herself to conjure up settled her just enough to get through the final hours of her flight.

* * *

Donna Smoak sat in her living room waiting. The lamp in the corner gave off just enough light for her to read a book in the somewhat comfortable chair she had chosen to accent her other furniture. She twirled a wisp of hair that fell to the side of her face as she read the pages of the mystery novel.

She couldn't say she was really into the book tonight. Her mind was certainly on the real mystery of the evening – was her daughter actually coming to her home and if so, why?

Instead of attempting to figure out those answers she had chosen to come home from work about an hour after Oliver called her, have some dinner and settle in for the evening.

If Felicity had left Star City around 5:30 or 6pm, there was no reason to start worrying until the clock hit around 7'ish in Las Vegas.

Donna had spent another half hour or so after dinner tidying up the few dishes she had used. And, she went upstairs to dust in the guest bedroom that she had decorated just for an occasion like this.

As much as she had enjoyed the apartment closer to the Vegas action, she had to admit there was something calming about coming home to the small, 3 bedroom, 2 ½ bath home that she had purchased after Felicity and Oliver married.

Felicity and William had enjoyed nearly a week in the home after maniacal Ricardo Diaz was captured and they were freed from ARGUS protective custody. Donna had been absolutely in heaven when Felicity brought her step-grandson for a visit.

She and Felicity had found even more of a common ground during that week. Single motherhood wasn't easy. With Oliver still serving a prison sentence, Felicity turned to her mom and got exactly what she wanted.

Understanding and love.

This evening, Donna was preparing herself to offer much of the same. Something was apparently troubling her daughter and she wanted to be a help, not a hindrance.

She mindlessly flipped another page of the book then had to squelch her gut reaction to throw open the front door and run squealing into the driveway when she heard a car door slam. Instead she calmly walked to the door, opened it and stood in the opening as she watched her daughter tip the cab driver and slowly move toward the house.

Donna could see Felicity's tear-stained face, even as her daughter attempted to smile at her. She opened her arms and let the younger woman melt into them before even setting a foot inside the house.

"Let's get you inside, Sweetheart," Donna finally said as a couple of cars drove past the house.

Felicity nodded but didn't say a word. She grabbed her suitcase and pulled it into the foyer. She let it sit at the bottom of the stairs not knowing exactly where she would spend the night - if she slept at all.

Donna held her hand as they walked into the living room and then she sat her daughter down on the couch. She, herself, sat down on the coffee table across from Felicity.

"Have you eaten?" She began with a hopefully safe question.

Felicity pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"Do you feel like eating?" Donna continued, getting another shake of the head.

"What can I do, Sweetheart?" She leaned forward and took one of Felicity's hands into hers.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders with tears beginning to stream again. "Hold me?" She finally requested.

Donna jumped at the opportunity, moving to the couch and taking her daughter into her arms once more. She felt the tears soaking through the unpadded shoulder of her thin t-shirt and realized that even more of them were likely pooling behind Felicity's glasses.

"Baby Doll, give me your glasses and your phone," Donna whispered against Felicity's temple.

Felicity obeyed, taking her glasses off, turning her face more tightly against her mom's shoulder and then reaching into her pocket to retrieve her phone which was still in airplane mode.

Ms. Smoak allowed another few minutes of silence while staring at the complicated smartphone. She held her daughter, touched the screen gingerly, but felt herself growing more and more frustrated by the electronic device every moment she couldn't figure out how to send a simple text.

"Baby?" She knew Felicity was beginning to calm down because her breathing had evened, the wetness from her tears was starting to dry and she had found a comfortable spot in her mother's arms.

"Hmmm?" Felicity responded quietly.

"Fix your phone for me. You know I have to let Oliver know that you're here." She stated plainly, hoping it wouldn't upset her again.

Felicity turned, not wanting to be out of her mother's hold. She looked at the device in Donna's hands and chuckled a somewhat snotty sound, thanks to the amount of tears she had cried.

Between the tears and no glasses, Felicity also struggled with her phone. But she took it from her mom's fingers and pressed a couple of buttons, tapped on the screen a few times and then suddenly a string of notifications began buzzing and beeping.

"Damn," she whispered.

"Felicity?" Donna wasn't reprimanding, just curious.

"He's in the air, he won't get a text till he lands." She spoke with a few pauses to sniffle and try to wrap her mind around her thoughts. She did quickly type a message to her husband,  _"At mom's."_

She sat up a little reluctantly and asked her mom for her glasses back. Once they were dried and back over her eyes Felicity pulled one knee up under her chin and looked down at her phone. She didn't have to assume that the 3 missed calls and 21 text messages were from her husband, their son, or her mom.

She took a couple of minutes to look at the notes from Oliver and William which brought another round of quiet tears.

_"_ _Mom, are you ok? I waited, like you told me. Told Dad you were going to DD's. He's coming to get you."_

_"_ _Felicity, please don't do anything without me. Let's talk, please."_

_"_ _I love you. I'll be in Vegas by 11."_

_"_ _You're my everything, Baby, please just let me know you're ok."_

The other dozen or so were much the same context; lots of  _"ILY's"_ from William and pleas from Oliver that only added to her heartache.

Donna handed a newly-opened box of Kleenex to Felicity then sat down again on the coffee table across from her.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" Donna dipped her head to try and watch Felicity's reaction. "Do I need to run interference with Oliver? If you've had an argument I can keep him away until you get your thoughts straight."

Felicity offered her mom a sad smile and reached for her hands.

"It's not like that. I…I probably need Oliver here. But I wanted you first. I just…I kinda need my mom," she admitted.

"Okay," Donna did her best not to bask in that one little statement.

"I got some news today, from my gynecologist."

Donna's eyes grew wide. All she could think to say was again, "Okay."

Felicity did her best to smile wider. "I can get pregnant. I should be able to. Everything…um…even after the paralysis and the setback with the bio-stimulator…I should be able to have a baby." She shrugged a single shoulder to indicate to Donna that this was good news.

But Donna could read the other side of her daughter's emotions quite easily. "But…" she kept herself from smiling thanks to the worry running through her.

"But," Felicity licked her lips just for moisture, "because of the bio-stimulator, I may not be able to carry a baby. Or, going full term could cause me to be paralyzed again. Or the stimulator could affect the baby's development."

Her bottom lip quivered as she shared some of the heart-wrenching thoughts that had taken over her mind. Felicity stared down at her hands that were once again resting on her abdomen.

Donna nervously rubbed her own palms over her thighs. "Oliver doesn't know this yet, does he," she watched Felicity's face fall even farther.

"No," she shook her head with the quiet answer. Felicity looked up at Donna. "I'm scared to talk to him about it."

Donna moved her hands from her knees to Felicity's. She squeezed slightly and gave her daughter a questioning look. "Scared?"

"Not like that," Felicity put a hand over one of her mother's. "I don't need Mama Bear," she smiled gingerly. "I just need…my mom."

Donna nodded, offered a sad smile in return and then moved back to the couch, wrapping her arms around Felicity and pulling her close.

"So, you two have talked about having a baby?" Donna wondered, curious, but mainly wanting Felicity to begin talking about her struggling thoughts.

Felicity took a deep breath and tried to take her nightmarish feeling back to the beginning.

"William kind of brought it up. Um, a couple of months ago he was joking with us. He caught us in a couple of  _compromising_  positions," Felicity had to laugh at the memory.

Donna smiled a genuine grin. "Whatever do you mean, Baby Doll? I can't imagine you and  _Oliver_  being all touchy-feely with each other…" she prodded easily.

Felicity nudged her mother's shoulder with her forehead. "Mother…" she took a slightly deeper breath and twitched her chin. "Honestly, can I help it if I enjoy  _enjoying_  my  _husband_?" She smiled against her mother.

Donna laughed out loud for a split second. "Well no! Of course that's your wifely right! But, Felicity, you have a pre-teen boy in your home. You'd better  _enjoy_  each other behind locked doors."

Felicity raised up from Donna's embrace and looked her mother face to face with a tear-stained  _"Well DUH!"_  sort of gaze. "Thus the pre-teen lecture," she added with an eye roll.

"Will mentioned getting a little brother or sister while he was joking around," Felicity continued, putting her head back on Donna's shoulder. "Oliver and I talked a little bit about it later that evening."

"And?" Donna pressed.

Felicity sat up completely, pulling away from Donna and settling her feet back on the floor, uncomfortably. "And Oliver told me that one of the things he dreamed about…one of the ways he made it through his time in prison…was thinking about us having a baby of our own. He's thought about him and me and William…and a baby," she finished in a whisper.

"And how do  _you_  feel about that?" Donna wondered.

"I can't say it's been a dream of mine. At least it wasn't before…" Felicity stopped herself.

"Before what, Sweetheart?" Donna wanted her to open up with her with hopes that would make it easier to talk to Oliver.

"Before… Oliver," she took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mom, but I can honestly say that having kids of my own wasn't on my top 10 list growing up. Marriage, family…making a  _life_  together with someone…I didn't see it happening for me. After Dad left," she shook her head, "I didn't even want to think about having a family."

"Oh, Baby," Donna interjected, hurting herself with this part of Felicity's feelings.

Felicity took Donna's hands again in hers. "But after being with Oliver – after he told me that he loved me – I had second thoughts. I allowed myself to think that just maybe, maybe I  _could_  be a mom."

"You're wonderful with William," Donna complimented.

"He came fully baked and years out of the oven," Felicity commented. "He and I were thrown together to make the best of a bad situation. We both love Oliver and wanted him home with us. Plus, I think puberty is just beginning to set in. Daddy can deal with that!" she actually joked.

Donna reached up and wiped a lingering tear off Felicity's cheek. "So you and Oliver chatted about having a baby…"

Felicity nodded. "When we went to sleep that night, I decided to make an appointment with my gynecologist to find out if I could even try to get pregnant. I kept my i.u.d. after my paralysis. But I didn't know if the nerve damage had affected any pregnancy planning or not. I was too scared to even ask about that until that point."

"You didn't tell Oliver about the appointment?" Donna rubbed her thumbs over Felicity's knuckles feeling her daughter's tension picking up again.

"No." Felicity answered honestly. "I thought I would go and get my answers and then figure out what to tell him or how to tell him once I knew what my situation was. I didn't want to get my hopes up - but I wanted to…you know?"

Donna nodded. That she could certainly understand. "How high up did your hopes go?"

"Olivia and Oliver Junior…" Felicity admitted.

"Twins?" Donna raised her eyebrows and gave her daughter's blonde hair a questioning stare.

"Olivia um, Via, would be the sporty one, like her dad. O.J. would be brilliant but William still likes his little sister more…"

"Honey," Donna interrupted. "Today you got answers that have affected those thoughts.  _Now_  what do you think? What sent you running away from Oliver, to me?"

"Now?" Felicity swallowed roughly and her voice raised several decibels. "Now Via and O.J. don't even exist. Now I'm back to square one, wondering why I even thought about kids. Why did I even allow myself to think that I could be a mother? Why?!"

"Felicity," Donna attempted to calm her.

"It's not fair," Felicity continued a little more quietly. "This is just like Oliver saying that he loved me and then telling me he couldn't be with someone that he really cared about. It's like getting engaged to him and then getting paralyzed. Every time I get my hopes up I get shot down and I'm tired of it."

She paused for a second too long, letting more tears begin.

"Why?" She looked at her mother with the rhetorical question.

Donna cried as well, hurting for her baby girl. A young woman who had allowed herself to dream but had those dreams shattered or at the least interrupted one too many times. She couldn't help but wonder if she was to blame for part of Felicity's pain.

In that moment, however, Donna knew that she had a chance to try and make a positive difference in Felicity's dreams instead of hosting her own pity party.

"Are you listening to what you're saying, Baby Doll?" Donna tried to run backwards through their conversation in her mind.

"Yes," Felicity's unbelieving attitude came through with just one word.

Donna sat back a little farther on the couch and looked at her daughter. "Everything you just mentioned ended up turning out in your favor. You had to fight for Oliver. Now he's your husband. You had to fight to get through the paralysis. But you did- and just look at you now! Oliver has a son that he had to keep secret from you but you've found a way to love that boy and become his mother."

Felicity's mother looked at her seriously, reached out to run her finger over Felicity's cheek, and continued. "There's a Bible verse – I think it's in the New Testament, but still – it says that God won't give you more than you can handle. Felicity Smoak, you have grown into one of the strongest women I know. You have been on an emotional roller coaster more times than I can imagine but you have come off those rides ready to face life even stronger – every time. You've met  _every_  challenge. This is just another mountain for you to climb. And Baby, you are – you and Oliver  _and William_  – you're going to get over this one too. But you've gotta let them help you."

Felicity listened intently to her mother and began taking a series of deep breaths.

"Queen," Felicity stated simply after more deep breaths.

"Huh?" Donna wondered, just happy that she had been actually listening.

"My last name…it's Queen now." She smiled at Donna through her sadness.

Donna nodded. She grabbed a Kleenex from the box and dabbed at the own wetness under her eyes. "That you are. And Mrs. Queen, how are you going to move forward with the info that you got today?"

Felicity shivered. "Eww, Mrs. Queen was Oliver's mother. Maybe I should stick with Smoak…or hyphenate…" She let her mind wander for a second. "Smoak-Queen…Mrs. Smoak-Queen…Felicity Smoak-Queen…"

Donna rolled her eyes. "Really? You didn't think about this before marrying him? You've been in love with him for years, engaged to him for how long? And yet you never wrote your potential married name on a notebook?"

Felicity tilted her head. "Mom…"

"Focus," Donna instructed. "What did your doctor tell you today? Where do you go from here?"

Felicity nodded slowly. "Dr. Barton called this afternoon. She says all of my tests…everything is working as it should. The stimulator that's helping me walk probably kept me from being sterile. She doesn't see any reason that I can't get pregnant." Her smile was clouded by the doctor's other opinion. "The birth control device is likely doing its job -"

"Considering you and Oliver, I'd say it's been working overtime…especially since Oliver got home," Donna tried not to grin at her own thought.

"Mom!" Felicity chastised. "IF I wanted to dampen our sex life, I should've known maternal conversations would do the trick…"

"Sorry," Donna apologized.

"So," Felicity continued, "I could have the I.U.D. removed and I would  _probably_  be able to get pregnant. But that's where the good news stops." She took a long, deep breath and held it.

"Where the bio-stimulator is placed in my spine, the way it works, with an electric charge…Dr. Barton has no idea  _how_  that might affect a pregnancy."

"Or  _if,_ right?" Donna tried to sound encouraging, reaching again to hold Felicity's hands.

Felicity nodded. "Or,  _if_  it will affect one. She says we should consider it a high-risk pregnancy from the get-go. Meaning constant monitoring. And, most likely, because I'm the first person to ever have a working bio-stimulator, I'm going to be under a microscope, literally, because they'll want to know every effect, every change that this device could cause."

"And…" Donna wondered.

"And I couldn't have a normal pregnancy if I wanted to. I get that. I understand. The genius in me understands and is right there with them on the matter. Researchers, doctors, they need to know what this device can do, good and bad. But the wife in me, and any hints of maternal instincts has to wonder, can I  _not_  have something normal for once?" She huffed out a frustrated breath.

"On top of that," Felicity continued, "Dr. Barton is concerned that  _if_  I can carry a baby full term, that it might press against the stimulator and possibly paralyze me again. Do I want to take that chance? Do I want to leave Oliver with an infant to care for when I can't?"

Felicity pulled her hands from her mother's to adjust her glasses, wipe her eyes and rub her temples. Saying it out loud, reliving the conversation, hearing the thoughts come out of her own mouth, it was again a little overwhelming. "And with all that in mind, do I even want to attempt having a baby of my own?" She somewhat mumbled.

Donna's hand went to her daughter's cheek. She was beginning to understand Felicity's dilemma but knew there must be even more to her considerations.

"If you  _don't_  want to attempt it…if you decide  _not_  to have a baby…will Oliver be disappointed? Are you worried about hurting him with your decision?" the would-be grandmother wondered for both her son-in-law and for herself.

"Would you?" Felicity read her mom's thoughts. "If we decide not to try," she watched Donna's face for whatever indication she might give, "will  _you_  be disappointed?"

Donna's mouth dropped open slightly and she shook her head. "My feelings…don't matter here, Felicity. But  _NO_ ," Donna adamantly shook her head, "with what you're telling me, how could I be disappointed." Her eyebrows knit together, trying to find the right words to say.

"Even if I was, that wouldn't change anything between us. My feelings shouldn't even be part of your consideration on this. This is a decision that you need to make. This is your body, your life. Having a baby…Honey, I love  _you_. I would  _love_  a grandchild – just like I love my step-grandson. None of that will change, no matter what you decide. You deserve to be happy. And this is a choice for you  _and Oliver_  to make together. Whatever you decide, as long as you are happy, I will be happy."

Felicity smiled and leaned toward her mother for another hug.

"What?" Donna wondered of the meaningful, yet somewhat casual embrace.

"I'm expecting the same kind of answer from Oliver. He's going to say this is my choice; that he will find a way to be happy with whatever  _I_  decide." She pulled away from her mother and looked toward the coffee table.

"What's wrong with that?" Donna prodded.

"I need him to tell me what he really wants. I appreciate that he wants to give me the choice, and ultimately, selfishly, I know this is  _my_  decision. But I need to know how much he  _wants_  a baby… _our_  baby…or, does being a dad – again- really mean that much to him. Does that make sense?"

Donna nodded, running a soothing hand up and down Felicity's bicep. "It does. But, Honey, do you really expect Oliver… _Oliver…_ to tell you to put  _your_  life and safety on the line just so he can have a child with you?" She pressed her thumb a little more firmly into Felicity's upper arm making the two of them regain eye contact.

Felicity thought about what her mother was saying. She tilted her face as she looked at Donna seriously. "Yes," she nodded honestly. "If he wants us to have a baby and if he is willing to take those risks, I need him to tell me," she paused, obviously unfinished with her thought. "Because if  _he_  is willing to take those risks…I think I am, too. But I  _need_  to know."

The gentle knock against the wooden door startled both women but they knew immediately who was there. After looking at each other for just another moment, understanding beginning to wash over both of them, Donna sent Felicity to answer the knock.

Felicity slowly pulled the door open revealing Oliver's tired and worried face.

"Hi," she offered almost silently.

"Hi," he responded and quickly reached out with his free hand to place his palm on her cheek.

Felicity stepped back a couple of steps, opening the door a bit wider for him to come in the house. She leaned against the wood and watched him take two steps inside, just enough to get himself close to her.

And, as soon as she pushed the door closed behind him, Oliver wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. He then slid down her body, settling himself on his knees in the floor. His hands immediately went to her abdomen, gently resting there as he looked up into her face.

"Please don't make a decision about this by yourself. Felicity, please. Please talk to me."

**Chapter Three – Talk**


	4. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was asked by one reader how I came up with the idea for this story. The easy answer is that it's just my imagination. The more lengthy answer is that I read in a couple of places that the actress who plays Felicity, EBR, isn't completely thrilled with the idea that's been tossed around about her character being pregnant. (That's completely just from social media sites, NOT from show producers or anyone affiliated with the show to my knowledge!) Anywho... with that in mind, I started wondering what might stand in the way of an Olicity pregnancy (um...besides hubby dearest being in prison!) and the bio-stimulator seemed to make the most sense. It's an untested device implanted in her spine. Babies wreak all kinds of potential havoc on expectant mom's, so who knows how the two would work - or not work - together. Again, this is all my imagination. I've got no connection to no one! haha! :P
> 
> Thanks SO much for reading and to those who have reviewed, HUGE hugs and appreciation! MJ, you're the bestest! Please keep the reviews coming - your reviews feed my muse - as do Oliver and Felicity, of course! lol!
> 
> Happy Reading and KTOLF!  
> -adcg  
> \-------------

**Chapter Four – Together**

"Please don't make a decision about this by yourself. Felicity, please. Please talk to me." Oliver knelt in front of her, pleading.

Felicity placed her hands against his cheeks, holding his face in her hands as their eyes met.

Oliver quickly wrapped his hands around her waist and placed a sweet kiss where his hands had been, over her womb. Felicity let him rest his cheek there while his arms clung to her waist and she ran her fingers through his short, tousled hair.

He was wearing a dark pair of jeans, a gray t-shirt and his boots. She realized he had taken time to go home and change clothes and had likely talked to William at least a little bit. He must've – he knew she was coming to Vegas and had followed her quickly.

Donna's eyes were damp with emotion as she watched the couple interact just inside the door of her home. She didn't want to interrupt their moment by any means, but she also didn't want to stop and stare. She debated going into the kitchen to at least find something for Oliver to eat. What good, Jewish mother wouldn't have food for her kids?

"I'm just going…" Donna spoke just above a whisper and pointed with both index fingers toward the room farther inside her house, beyond the dining area.

"Donna," Oliver stood somewhat hurriedly, a little embarrassed that he hadn't even spoken to Felicity's mother.

Donna looked toward him with a questioning look on her face.

"I… just… thank you," he finally got out, not really knowing why he was thanking her.

Donna smiled at him gently and then looked at Felicity's profile as she now stood holding Oliver's hands. "Just take care of my girl, alright?" She gave him the best motherly look she could muster at the moment and Oliver nodded back instinctively.

As Donna turned to walk away, Felicity tugged on Oliver's hands to bring him to the couch. They both sat down and took deep breaths waiting for the other to begin.

"Dr. Barton is your ob-gyn, right?" Oliver finally asked, not knowing where to even try to begin.

Felicity pursed her lips together, forcing a smile of sorts as she simply observed her husband's body language. She nodded to answer his question.

"Felicity," Oliver took both her hands in his and found her eyes, holding her attention. "Are you pregnant? Are we- ?"

He intentionally held his emotions inside until she gave him some sort of answer.

"No," she shook her head to emphasize her answer. "Why would you think… How did you know about Dr. Barton?" she creased her eyebrows in thought as she realized they weren't only on different pages at the moment, they weren't even metaphorically reading the same book.

"Will heard you say her name when she called you this afternoon. And he did his research. He knows she's a doctor who takes care of expectant moms," Oliver explained.

"Oh," Felicity gave his hands a squeeze before adjusting herself on the cushions. She wanted to be in Oliver's arms but wasn't ready to be face to face with him as they talked about this. She turned her back toward his side hoping he would take the hint and put his arms around her.

That worked.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and placed a kiss on the skin showing just below his shirt sleeve, covering his well-toned bicep.

In response Oliver flexed his muscle, very happy to feel her lips on his skin – since they had yet to share an actual kiss.

"Is William ok?" Felicity's thoughts trailed off in a different direction. "I'm an awful mom, aren't I? I left him home by himself. Oh God, I'm so sorry." She pressed her cheek against Oliver's arm and he could feel the tears those thoughts had prompted.

"He's fine," Oliver tried to console her. "Felicity, you didn't do anything wrong. He's 12. He can be at home by himself for a while." He placed a kiss into her hair to let his wife know he was far from upset at her for Williams' situation.

"Raisa's with him. He's just mainly worried about you," Oliver wanted to convey that William wasn't upset with Felicity either. Concern was the bigger issue.

"I freaked out on him, Oliver," Felicity kept her back turned to him. "Dr. Barton called and I freaked out."

Oliver turned his body toward hers and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her to the corner of the seat with him simply to hold her close.

"Oliver," Felicity tried without much effort to wiggle out of his hold then easily gave in, letting their bodies mold together.

"Tell me what happened, please?" Oliver requested in his most gentle voice, against the shell of her ear. "What freaked you out so much that you couldn't call me or come to me?" There was much more that he wanted to include in that question but thought better of it and kept it simple.

"Can't I just have times when I need my mom?" Felicity knew that answer wouldn't fly, but it was somewhat true.

"Sure," Oliver tried to be agreeable. "But when the trip happens spur of the moment, after getting a call from a doctor, and when you tell our son not to inform  _me_  of anything for at least an hour after you left… Sweetheart… I was on the verge of taking the Barry Allen express to get to you."

Felicity smiled at that thought. "You would've beat me here."

"Honestly, that's what I wanted." Oliver sat up a little straighter and urged Felicity to turn around and look at him. "Whatever is going on, whatever this is, Felicity, you've gotta let me in. I get it, you needed your mom. But if your health is involved, if  _our baby_  is involved… Baby, you've gotta let me in, please."

Felicity knew her tears hadn't finished for the night. Just hearing Oliver reference the idea of their child started them again.

"Can you just…" she assumed the same position on the couch as she had with her mother earlier. Oliver wrapped her in his arms and let her face rest against his chest as more tears soaked through his t-shirt.

"Felicity, Baby, talk to me, please?" Oliver requested.

Felicity shook her head against his pectoral muscle.

At the same time, Donna wandered back into the living room. Oliver looked at her with tears in his own eyes, uncertainty written all over his face.

His mother-in-law held up a simple index finger, instructing him to just hang on. She had no idea what had been shared yet, nor exactly where her kids' conversation would take them. Donna stepped toward the couch, put her hands on Oliver's cheeks while standing over him and looking at both him and Felicity. She then bent down and placed a kiss in Oliver's hair.

"Just be patient with her, Oliver. Give her time," Donna whispered as she ran her thumbs gingerly through Oliver's short beard and hoped her words were the least bit reassuring.

"I'm gonna take Felicity's suitcase upstairs to your bedroom. She knows where it is if you all make it upstairs tonight, okay." She gave Oliver a gentle wink, again trying to be reassuring. "I'm going to head onto bed. But if you need me, you yell, alright?"

Oliver nodded. "Thank you," he offered again.

Felicity lifted her head from his chest and looked at her mother. "Mom?"

"Yeah, Baby Doll?" Donna tilted her face to look at her daughter and watched as Felicity's hand immediately gripped Oliver's t-shirt, grateful to be in his arms.

"Good… good night," Felicity gave her a perfect clue that the situation would get better, somehow. Two of the three people that she loved most in the world were solely focused on her. And together they would figure it out.

* * *

Oliver and Felicity sat silently for the next half hour, him running his fingers through her hair and her nuzzling against his chest and simply finding ways to be as close to him as possible with their clothes still intact.

After a particularly long breath, Felicity tilted her head upwards and kissed Oliver's beard-adorned chin. "I'm not pregnant," she stated and then took another breath. "That's not why Dr. Barton called. It's not like I had a miscarriage or anything like that," she placed her thumbnail in her mouth and breathed against his chest. "I'm not pregnant, I haven't been pregnant."

She felt Oliver nod.

"Okay," he said simply.

"What are you thinking?" Felicity asked, wanting to truly know what else came to his mind besides 'okay'.

"Can you be?" Oliver asked. "I mean…can you get…pregnant?" He stared toward the front window of Donna's home, watching the street lights flicker behind a few trees. "It's a question that I've wondered since that night that we talked about possibly having a baby. After your paralysis, is it possible for you…for us…to get pregnant?"

Felicity hesitated. The thought of being pregnant with Oliver's child warmed her again. The fleeting idea of Via and O.J. entered her mind as she sat there in his arms.

"Dr. Barton says I should be able to," Felicity swallowed the thoughts of twins and fears of what-if's as she prepared to tell her husband about the conversation.

She pulled away from Oliver and took a deep breath. She leaned her shoulder against the back of the couch, grabbed another tissue and wiped her eyes. She licked her lips as Oliver watched her and tried to collect her thoughts before forming words.

"Felicity, if it's not something you want…"

She quickly held her hand up to stop him and closed her eyes momentarily.

"I  _do_  want, Oliver," she opened her eyes, and looked at him without smiling although that should be wonderful news. "After we talked that night I had the same question that you just asked me…  _Could_ I? With the nerve damage and surgery and the stimulator… is it possible for me to even think about having a baby?" She took one of his hands in hers and squeezed it as she forced herself to smile. "The short answer is 'yes'."

Oliver tilted his head, reading her eyes, the twitch of her jaw when she finished speaking, the way she was squeezing his hand as though he actually held some answer.

"Ever since we had that talk – ever since William joked about having a little brother or sister – I've thought about it. And I told you the truth that night, being with you…having William…my heart is opening up to the idea of being a mom."

Oliver smiled at her genuinely. Just like his heart-felt 'I love you's' entered their relationship long before Felicity's, he had pictured her having his child long ago. Not just the dreams that eased his tensions in prison but many others filled his heart.

"What's the long answer?" Oliver pushed her to tell him the rest of the story.

Felicity looked down at his hand in hers, their wedding bands, their fingers linked together, caressing each other. "With the bio-stimulator," she started slowly, "there are a  _lot_  of uncertainties." She looked up to judge Oliver's reaction.

"Like what?" he wondered simply.

"Dr. Barton says  _if_  we are to get pregnant, she would consider it a high-risk pregnancy right from the start. We don't know if the electrical charge from the device could affect a baby's development. And, depending on the baby's size and how I might carry him or her – in utero – my paralysis might return."

Oliver's eyes grew wide as he began to understand, ever so slightly. His used the fingertips of his free hand to rub a mindless pattern in the stubble under his chin.

Felicity watched his eyebrows crease and release. She had seen this process before on her husband, his attempt to process information and find an answer all at the same time.

He took a quick breath in and let it out just as quickly. "So she doesn't recommend that we have a baby," he pressed his lips together, still processing.

Felicity dipped her head to regain his attention and focus. "That's  _not_  what she said. That  _was_  what I heard at first, too, Oliver. That's why I ran. I felt like she had just taken my hopes and ripped them apart. I told mom, I had gotten my hopes up,  _way-over-the-top_  up. And Dr. Barton's call sent them slamming down all in about 15 minutes time."

"So what  _was_  she saying?" His confused look didn't surprise Felicity.

Felicity huffed out a laugh, "She's saying a pregnancy for me…for  _us_ …would be complicated. Not impossible… not without challenges… but complicated."

Oliver looked toward the ceiling and rolled his eyes. "Do we have any part of our lives that can't be complicated?"

Felicity laughed again, "Exactly."

She reached up with her fingertips and ran them over Oliver's lower lip. He looked back into her eyes and finally saw a hint of her light shining there.

"Can I have a kiss, please?" Oliver chanced asking her.

Felicity tilted her head in an 'are-you serious?' fashion.

And finally, she moved her lips to his and allowed at least some of their tensions to float away.

Oliver placed one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head. It wasn't a kiss to be deepened – not in that moment and not on Donna Smoak's couch, in her living room. But he prolonged their lip-lock long enough to let his wife know that she should've never tackled this situation by herself.

"Now," Oliver let out a long cleansing breath once he finally removed his lips from hers, "You've had a few hours to think about this, obviously. And this isn't a decision we are going to make tonight by any means. But can you tell me your thoughts? How are you feeling,  _now,_  compared to when you left home this afternoon?"

Felicity took a moment to maneuver them around into a more comfortable position. The end result had her practically cradled in Oliver's arms, sitting in his lap, both of them reclining somewhat against the corner of the seat. She suddenly felt a little child-like herself, and yet wrapped in his arms, she felt protected, safe and above all, loved.

She placed her hands on his forearm, massaging, as she thought about his question. She leaned her head against his shoulder, nuzzling again against his neck.

"I guess," she started, "I'm still scared. But I'm realizing there's no absolute answer here. I guess, I thought Dr. Barton would call and tell me either 'yes' or 'no'. Either getting pregnant was possible or not. I think I had prepared myself for either of those answers…sort of," she added. "But to hear 'yes' with a string of exceptions and warnings behind it…my mind went into overdrive and pretty much disregarded the simple answer."

Oliver listened to her intently, ghosting his fingers over her thigh and hip bone and daring to press his hands toward the middle of her abdomen. He breathed out against her hair and took in her soft scent when he breathed in again.

"Felicity," he asked softly. "What scares you?"

She let out a sigh, knowing he was trying to form his own opinions of their situation and part of that involved knowing all of her thoughts. She didn't want to hide them from him but she also didn't want to scare him. At the end of this conversation she needed an honest answer from Oliver's heart and soul… _his_  answer – not one based solely on  _her_  fears.

"Losing you." She answered honestly, because apparently something deep inside of her brought that point to the forefront of her mind.

Oliver pressed his lips through her hair and left a warm kiss on her scalp. His arms wrapped more tightly around her, allowing one hand the ability to reach her chin and tip her face up towards his.

"You are  _not_  going to lose me." He shook his head and knew she understood him and the serious look on his face.

Still her sad eyes spoke wonders to him. "But if you  _want_  a baby, and William  _wants_  a baby, and if I can't give that to you because – for whatever reason…"

Oliver held her chin between his index finger and thumb, their faces barely inches apart. "You will not lose me, or William – period. I didn't fall in love with you because I wanted a baby. I didn't marry you because I wanted a baby. Dear God, I married you because you asked me to. I fell in love with you because you are  _you_. Felicity, having a baby together, raising  _our_  family would simply be a bonus package for me. I'm not going to leave you if you can't have a baby, or if you  _choose_  not to."

He took the opportunity to press his lips to hers again. Stopping any potential argument she might try to voice was a bonus package to his kiss.

"And, by the way, William has no say in the matter. I mean, not just the baby idea, but you're still his legal guardian. He can't do anything without your okay on it at the moment."

Felicity bit her bottom lip and smiled, appreciating all of the answers he was offering. She had forgotten about the guardianship that she had taken on when Oliver went to prison. It was a legal matter they needed to put back in Oliver's hands as Will's father. But the guardianship that had terrified her when it fell into her lap had simply slid into the mother/son relationship that she and William currently shared.

"Another side note…from Will," Oliver placed another quick kiss on her lips and then pulled back just far enough to focus on her eyes. "He said he would really like to have a little sister, but as long as you're ok, a brother is fine too."

Felicity blinked her eyes slowly, the smile fading off her face as she thought about William's feelings and more of her own in this baby saga.

"You won't lose us. You're stuck with both of us, Baby, we're glue."

Felicity's smile returned. She kissed her way from the soft beard growth just under his ear down to the prickly stubble on his neck.

Oliver hummed at the sensation she caused. "Now, what else?" he found the ability to ask.

Felicity closed her eyes, beginning to feel tired. Being comfortable in her husband's arms, talking to him about this particular subject, finally, getting worries and fears out into the open had drained her. She knew there was a question she wanted to ask him but her eyelids were feeling ever-so-heavy.

Oliver continued holding her, supporting her body, and placing soothing kisses wherever his lips would reach. He assumed she was thinking about her fears and worries, and about a baby. He couldn't help but smile. He had yet to get her full response to questions he needed to ask. Their discussion was far from over. But the idea of a true bonus package, sharing a child with Felicity, was enough to make him cherish her even more.

They sat for several more minutes, Felicity moving her hand over his chest, pressing her cheek against his shoulder and finally wrapping a hand around his neck.

"Oliver?" her voice sounded sleepy which made her husband smile even more.

"Hmmm?" he was still waiting for an answer to his last question.

"Can we talk more tomorrow?" She requested.

"Yeah, sure. Are you okay?" he looked over her body resting in his hold.

"I'm tired. Take me to bed?" she requested with eyes already partially closed.

God, he loved her. And he loved their love even more when she admitted that she needed him. They would continue this conversation in the morning, most likely.

"You've gotta hang onto me, Felicity," he warned her as he started trying to get off the couch with her in his arms. Oliver struggled just a little bit to get off the soft cushions. And once he was up he tackled the 10 steps that took them up to the second floor.

Luckily, Donna had left a lamp on in the bedroom they were meant to share. He carried his wife to the bed and gently laid her down, watching her shiver just a little being separated from his warmth.

"When we have a baby you may have to carry me to bed like this every night." Her voice now sounded practically drugged, leading Oliver to understand just how tired she was. And he realized she probably had no idea what she had just said. Still he grinned widely at that idea. Then he watched her, expecting her to turn over and go right to sleep.

Instead she blinked her eyes open slightly and yawned. She reached her arms toward him like a needy child. "I need your shirt," she slurred slightly.

"What?" Oliver chuckled.

"I forgot to pack p.j.'s. I can't sleep in… _in my birthday suit_ …I need your shirt to sleep in," she mumbled.

"Felicity, Honey, it's probably stinky from the flight," he tried to find an excuse.

"Don't care," her voice made him chuckle and he knew…he knew what was coming next. "Gimme your shirt, Olivuuuhhhrrr," she turned on the whine.

So he stood at the side of the bed and removed his shirt. At which point Felicity opened her eyes again and smiled at the sight of her shirtless husband.

"Help me undress, pleeeaaassseee," she smiled and blinked at him with those sleepy, puppy dog eyes.

"You're killing me, you know that?" He gave her a nearly parental look before turning down the bed and proceeding to strip his wife down to her bra and panties.

Before he could pull his t-shirt over her head Felicity tugged at the straps of her bra. "I can't sleep with  _this_  on," she attempted to reach around her back to unclasp the garment.

Oliver nearly bit his tongue as he pulled his practically naked wife toward his chest, unclasped her bra and removed it from her body as well.

"That's better," Felicity smiled and attempted to wrap her arms around his neck to make him lie down with her chest to chest.

"Uh-uh, Little Miss," Oliver warned her. "You wanted this shirt to sleep in? You're wearing this shirt to sleep in." He pulled the soft cotton over her head and chastised himself inwardly for thinking how absolutely adorable and sexy she looked at that very moment.

"Sleep in your boxers," she commented with eyes closed completely enough that Oliver wondered if she was making these demands in her sleep.

"Nope," he answered simply. "I'm going to go get my suitcase and change into some sweats.  _That's_ what I'll be sleeping in tonight."

"Mmm-kay," she stretched her body out against the cool sheets and adjusted the pillow under her head. "I love you Deputy Mayor Queen," she chuckled in her now obviously sleep-induced voice.

Oliver rolled his eyes but didn't hesitate to respond. "And I love you too, Mrs. Deputy Mayor Queen. Soooo much."

**Chapter 4 - Together**


	5. Live

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is obviously shorter, but hopefully there is still some substance in it! ;) This one has a little smattering of 'mature' content but I don't think it goes overboard with the Teen rating. (If you disagree, please let me know!) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think! Your reviews feed my muse (along with Olicity, of course! haha)
> 
> KTOLF!  
> -adcg  
> \-----

**Chapter Five – Live**

Felicity stretched and scrunched her nose. The buzzing noise was annoying her.

Then she realized it was her phone making the noise.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to gain her bearings in this obviously strange bedroom.

Then it dawned on her… she turned her head and tilted it slightly to see her husband's bare back turned toward her. She smiled and glanced down at what she was wearing.

He had followed her to Vegas to make sure she was okay. And he had given her the shirt off his back to make her comfortable.

There was the buzzing again… _frack that's annoying!_

Her eyes couldn't quite focus on the device screen from her location on the bed so she reached out clumsily with her hand to grab it. When she could see William's picture on the screen she worked to sit up to answer the call.

"William? Is everything okay?" she started in a near panic. The moment was reminiscent of just a couple of times she had gotten caught at work overnight while Oliver was imprisoned.

_"_ _Mom?"_  William's worried voice spoke to her.  _"I'm fine. Are you okay? I talked to D.D. earlier and she said you and dad were asleep. We were hoping that meant things are okay."_

"Oh, my sweet boy, I am so sorry," Felicity kept her voice quiet in order to let Oliver sleep.

She uncovered her legs and slid off the mattress, choosing to take the seat by the small table her mom had sitting near the window of the room. Felicity was a little surprised that the sun was already showing above the houses.

_"_ _Dad didn't call last night and neither did you. Raisa said 'no news is good news' but I was still worried,"_ William explained.

"I'm sorry," Felicity reiterated. "We're both okay. There's just some stuff we need to talk about. It's a little easier to be by ourselves to talk about them though. Not quite as many distractions here, for us, I mean, as there are in Star City," she said.

_"_ _You mean distractions like me?"_ William pouted slightly and Felicity could practically hear it in his voice. It was a talent she had learned many times over from talking to Oliver via phone or coms in the field. And, William had apparently inherited the pouty vocal talents of his father.

"Nooo," Felicity corrected him. "I mean distractions like work and grocery shopping and just having to leave home in general."

William considered what she was saying.  _"You and dad need a little time to yourselves?"_

Felicity nodded to herself. "Yeah, I hope you can understand. Every now and then," she emphasized the time distance between those two words, "we need a little time to focus on each other and little issues that come up. We can work through them, but sometimes there isn't a quick, at-home, kind of fix."

_"_ _Sooo, you aren't upset with me?"_ William wondered aloud the other issue he was dealing with.

"What?" Felicity sounded slightly surprised. "No, no way! You handled things perfectly. I hope you aren't upset with me."

William smiled softly. They had had several conversations like this over the past year. Felicity always made him feel like he was part of the process, figuring out answers and solutions. He was still trying to understand why she and Oliver needed to be a thousand miles away to figure this one out, but at least she thought he had done the right thing.

_"_ _No, just worried. Especially when Dad came home and was kind of panicked too. I looked up Dr. Barton. I know her patients are women who are having babies,"_ he tried to throw that into the conversation as normally as he could.

"Will, she also takes care of women who want to have babies and those who can't. Pregnant women aren't the only ones that she sees," Felicity explained, knowing very well what their son was trying to ask.

"Which one are you?" William chanced asking directly.

Felicity felt herself blush. She remembered Oliver saying that William would  _prefer_  a little sister. So obviously William was thinking that a little sibling was already in the proverbial oven.

"Will," her motherly voice came out firmly but gently. "I'm not pregnant. And, I need you to realize that having a baby – whether your dad and I have a baby or not – that's our decision. Okay? Dad told me that you would like a little sister. I appreciate your support, but this is a big decision that he and I need to make together. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

_"_ _Yeah,"_  William answered her politely.  _"I was just… before dad left and I looked up Dr. Barton…I just thought…I wanted you to know that IF_   _you were, um, pregnant. I wouldn't be upset about that. I wouldn't mind being a big brother. I love you and Dad and I think it'd be cool. I think – well, I know – you'd be a pretty badass mom."_

Felicity smiled at his words. She really did love this boy. He had become her son and she was over-the-moon proud of him. "I appreciate that, Will. I really, really do. And I love you, too. You know that, right?"

_"_ _Yeah, I know,"_ she could hear him grinning.

"Hey," Felicity squinted her eyes to look at the time on the phone dock by the bed, "It's like 8:30 in the morning over here. Shouldn't you be in school?"

_"_ _I am,"_ William countered.  _"I just…I told Mrs. Rice we had had a little family emergency and I wanted to check on you."_

Oh Dear God… Felicity suddenly felt anxious about this whole phone conversation. "William, is anyone listening to our chat?"

_"_ _Nooo,"_ he shook his head and looked up and down the empty hallway.  _"I came outside the room. Class has already started so the hall is empty."_

"Oh, okay," Felicity gave a verbal sigh of relief. "Listen, Bud, let's keep this all to ourselves okay? Nobody needs to know that your mom freaked out and ran off last night. And they certainly don't need to know that this has anything to do with babies or baby doctors or anything like that, alright?"

William nodded and traced an arc on the tile floor with the toe of his tennis shoe. " _Yeah, yeah, I get it."_

"Get back to class, please. Dad and I will probably be home tomorrow, okay? Tell Raisa we will give her a call a little later this evening," Felicity instructed.

_"_ _Okay, will do,"_ William answered, sounding much more settled than he had when she first answered.

* * *

As they ended their call, Felicity looked back at the bed where Oliver had rolled over onto his stomach. She realized she probably had disturbed his sleep with the conversation, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

She sat looking at him for just another moment. Her mind thought about the past 12 hours or so, the call from her doctor and how her mind had immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario and the feeling of losing all hope on the matter. She thought about the twins again – her imaginary children at this point – and she let herself smile.

Felicity really did want to know Oliver's true feelings about having another child or children. Considering the potential complications that her body could cause, she needed to know if he was willing to take those risks.

She put a hand on her belly and looked down at it. After talking to Donna, and following the emotional wave that she and Oliver had ridden out together, she was feeling much more settled, almost content.

"Felicity?" Oliver's voice was a little mumbled since his head was buried in a pillow.

She smiled and wandered back to the bed, climbing in beside him and immediately running her fingers through the short hair above his ear.

Oliver hummed at her touch and sucked in a long breath. "Was that William?" He asked with a sleepy morning voice.

Felicity nodded with the awareness that he wasn't looking at her while her short fingernails were massaging his scalp. "Yeah."

"Is everything ok? Oh, damn, I was supposed to call them when I found you last night." Oliver still didn't open his eyes but Felicity felt him tense at the thought.

She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his temple. "It's fine. Apparently Raisa and Mom have chatted already this morning. Raisa reassured Will and he's at school. All good."

Oliver squinted as he finally allowed his eyelids to uncover his blue irises. He smiled to see his wife watching him, her fingers randomly wandering through his hair and his beard with comforting strokes - no matter where she touched.

"He really does love you, you know that, right?" He watched as Felicity just slightly rolled her eyes with the tiniest bit of embarrassment.

"I do know that," she tilted her head to make sure she could look into his eyes. "And I love him, very much. Just like I love  _you_ , very much." She smiled again and touched the tip of her index finger to his nose.

After another second of just staring at each other, Felicity continued. "Good morning," she bent over and whispered against the shell of his ear as she rubbed his earlobe between her index finger and thumb.

Her smile was even wider when he shivered at her whisper and waited for her fingers to reactivate.

He didn't move, deciding quickly that he was perfectly happy to let her run her hands wherever she chose on his body. Her voice – even just the few words she had said to him – was much more 'Felicity-esque'.

Felicity must have read his mind as she made herself more comfortable in the bed, lying on her side and letting her fingers wander to his neck and over his shoulder.

Oliver blinked and met her eyes as she found a comfortable spot on the pillow with her other hand tucked underneath the softness. He smiled a quirky little grin toward her and watched her nose twitch, returning his sentiment.

"I do love you," Felicity continued tracing mindless patterns over his skin and muscles as she looked him face to face.

"And I love you," Oliver didn't hesitate. "How are you feeling this morning?"

Felicity let her eyes move to her fingers and the scar on Oliver's shoulder that she was now outlining. "Not as freaked out," she said and then looked back into his eyes. "Thank you for coming after me."

Oliver turned onto his side somewhat quickly in response to her gratitude. "You don't have to thank me for that. You know that. If you need me I'll follow you anywhere. I just hate the idea that you needed to leave without talking to me first."

"Oh," Felicity propped her head up in her palm with her elbow resting on the pillow, "because  _you_  would never do that, right?" She gave him a sarcastic look.

"I," Oliver stopped to think about how he wanted to respond, knowing she was only drawing that comment from past circumstances. "I've grown a lot since then," he decided.

Felicity tilted her head with more sarcasm.

"But you came after me, didn't you?" Oliver reminded her.

She had to nod. "Yeah, I did."

Oliver raised himself up enough to lean over his wife and place a gentle kiss on her lips. "How many times, since we got married, have you told me that I can't go off half-cocked, by myself? Being married means we are in this together now, for the long haul."

Felicity laid her head back onto the pillow, watching Oliver's lips as he talked to her.

"So you're turning my words around on me now?" she placed a hand on his cheek and bit her bottom lip.

"Damn straight," Oliver answered before lowering his lips to hers again and taking the opportunity to remind his wife just how 'together' he wanted to be.

"Mmmm," Felicity hummed and Oliver could feel her smiling under his own lips.

He truly enjoyed the pleasure she took from their kisses. The first time he kissed her she was in shock, reeling from his profession of love and yet confused because he was breaking away from her before they had truly even began. And yet, ever since the night they first made love, Felicity practically devoured him and his kisses – and Oliver loved it.

"Are you ready to talk a little more about Dr. Barton's phone call?" He pulled away from her just enough to quietly ask his question.

Felicity easily raised her head enough to place another kiss on his lips. "I am," she answered with a stronger but still shy voice. "But," she ran her hands over Oliver's chest, looking at his body without hesitation. "Maybe," she looked back into his face as her hands made their way to his neck and she let her fingers link at the back of his head, "after breakfast?"

Oliver smiled at her. "And by breakfast, you mean..." he lowered his face to hers once more and merged his lips with hers happily.

His hand easily slid down her smaller body and found the edge of his t-shirt. This time Felicity shivered as his gentle fingers began their circling, wandering path over her thigh.

As their kisses continued and deepened, he bypassed her most sensitive area, letting his larger hand drag across the front of her panties on his quest to reach the part of her body that he had completely undressed last night.

When his fingers reached their destination and began tortuously stroking the underside of her breast, Felicity let out a moan that made Oliver smile against her lips.

"Where's my bra?" she asked without enough air to make her vocal cords work.

" _You_ made me take it off you last night. Are you complaining?" Oliver whispered against her jaw, taking just a moment away from her lips to make sure he enjoyed her pleasure.

"Oliver," her voice got lost again as he raked his teeth against her earlobe.

"This is what you get for making me undress you – and for using the shirt off my back as your pajamas." His declaration was lost between the feel of his breath in her ear canal and the nipping motion that put her earring between his teeth simultaneously.

_Why again had she run away from him?_

"Oli-ver," she tried again as their arms and legs tangled trying to steal the few remnants of clothing they were each wearing.

He hesitated just a second, a little bit of reality still sitting at the front of his mind; the idea that  _making love,_ following Felicity's meltdown just hours before, might be more than she needed to process in this moment.

Oliver pulled away from her just far enough to look into her face. Her hands sat on the waistband of his boxer shorts, his last piece of clothing. His arms braced his body above hers which was now lying naked beneath him.

Felicity fluttered her eyes and squinted to see his expression. "What's wrong?"

"Are you sure… I mean… us- this- right now?"

Felicity licked her lips and grinned at her husband. "Sentence fragments? Olivuuhhrrrr..." And there was the convincing whine again.

Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head as he felt her fingers beginning to tug at the waistband of his underwear.

Felicity easily pushed the thoughts from the previous day out of her head. "I'm...sure..." she bit her bottom lip as she concentrated on ridding him of his last piece of clothing which was covering the part of him that she was most craving at that moment. "Just help me get this arrow out of its quiver and hit your mark, would you?"

Oliver's eyes practically rolled to the back of his head. Perhaps she needed to freak out more often. Then he could chase her, calm her fears, and let her thank him by making references to his anatomical 'arrow'.

He pressed his lips to hers as he slowly lowered his body onto her. "Just remember," Oliver whispered.

Felicity couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips as she finally felt him fully against her. She opened her eyes as she heard his words and felt him beginning to press into her heat.

"Oli-"

He shut her up with another kiss and then finished his thought, "You know...I - don't – miss…"

* * *

Donna knew her kids were awake as she opened her bedroom door and started to cross the hall to peek in on them. Two steps outside of Felicity and Oliver's room was about the point she actually heard their voices.

Felicity's mom wanted to think that she was the type of mom who wouldn't eavesdrop on her daughter's conversation. But who was she kidding? If the married couple's morning chat would help her learn more about the rest of last night's discussions…

She nestled her ear against the door.

Donna shook her head. Her daughter still spoke 90-miles-a-minute and Oliver – well, Oliver apparently knew how to use his quiet, sexy voice to talk to his wife while they were still in bed.  _"_ Damn _,"_  Donna knew that whole scenario could be good or bad.

Although, the two of them were in there together. That had to count for something.

_"_ _Mmmm,"_  Ms. Smoak's eyes widened at the other sound that apparently emitted from her daughter.

"Well," she swallowed and whispered to herself before smiling, "I'll take that as a good sign."

She quickly tiptoed away from the door and headed down the stairs. She would start another pot of coffee, set the fruit and cereal on the table and happily wait for a breakfast conversation ... a little later in the morning.

**Chapter Five – Live**


	6. Understanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well here's chapter 6, a lot of fluff mixed with a little substance. Hope it still moves our story along and we get a little more insight on our couple and working out this situation! ;)
> 
> Thanks everyone for your reviews and for feeding my muse! Keep 'em coming, you don't know how much I appreciate hearing from readers and fellow writers!
> 
> KTOLF!  
> -adcg  
> \-----

**Chapter Six – Understanding**

"If that was breakfast, I'm still hungry," Oliver ran his fingers down her slender arm and stopped her fingers before they found one of the few truly ticklish spots on his body. Felicity had found this unhinging spot with her lips during a particularly amorous adventure in their Ivy Town home.

Oliver certainly hadn't done all he could to stop her attack in their laundry room but between her insistence that he 'stay still', the humming of the dryer which he was seated on, and the proximity of her lips to his…arrow… Well, thank God no one else would ever get sight of the massive hickey she had left on his body or the tiny scar caused by her teeth when the tickling became absolutely too much for him to handle.

_That_  had been true torture.

Felicity gripped his hand and placed a kiss against his throat where her head was nestled quite comfortably.

She was really content to stay in their current position all day long. The feel of his strong, bare leg resting on top of her bare thighs, holding her in place, was one of Felicity's most favorite feelings in the world. She loved knowing she could make him lose his breath, and his energy more quickly than chasing any of the bad guys Oliver had faced.

It was in moments like these she knew he was truly hers. She knew Oliver had given every part of himself to her. And, lying there naked, together, she was completely his as well.

"If you're referring to a repeat of what we just finished, I'm a little fearful of maternal interruptions," Felicity offered, reminding Oliver that they probably weren't alone in the house.

"Isn't there a lock on the door?" he placed her hand back on his hip so he could wrap his free arm around her and nudge himself closer to her.

"Yessss," Felicity drawled slightly, very aware of Oliver's ability to keep her occupied in bed. One of the reasons William had previously caught them in a compromising position. "But it has to be locked  _before_  we are naked and…  _attached_  to each other."

"What's the challenge in that?" Oliver wondered, ducking his head to kiss something other than her hair.

"Oliver Jonas Queen!" Felicity scolded. "We are not talking about a frat brother walking in, or even our son catching me under the covers and you, well, un-covered… This is  _my mother_  we are talking about. The same woman who didn't hesitate mentioning makeup sex at a time …"

"At a time that makeup sex was needed and quite frankly she was correct, wasn't she?"

Felicity rolled her eyes but certainly didn't argue with him.

She thought back to the time Oliver had invited Donna to come spend time with them – with Felicity in particular – and how her mother's motherly advice had been spot on, for the first time in Felicity's life.

"I don't think Donna's gonna come barging in on us this morning, do you?" Oliver wondered seriously.

Felicity moved around just enough to get out from under Oliver's chin in order to share the kiss with him that he was wanting.

"You okay?" He started to move his leg that practically had her pinned to the bed - but his wife balked, putting her hand firmly on the back of his thigh.

"The call from Dr. Barton…" Felicity brought the elephant in the room back to the forefront.

Again Oliver tried to move and she wouldn't let him.

"Stay here, please?" Felicity requested.

In return Oliver ran his hand lovingly up and down her arm. "Yeah?" he encouraged her to continue.

"Oliver, what scares me most is the thought of being 9 months pregnant, being ready for our baby to be born and then, for whatever reason – maybe because of the stimulator – I'm paralyzed again. And there you are having to take care of a newborn, William and  _me_. I want to be able to walk around with my baby in my arms. I want to be able to pace the floor when she's colicky. I want to stand over the crib and stare down at him when he's sleeping so peacefully. I want to see you cradling our baby in your arms and be able to tiptoe and kiss you and hug you both."

Felicity took a breath and put her lips against Oliver's shoulder. "I don't want to be dependent on you to have to take care of  _me_  and our baby. If that's the scenario that plays out…I don't know what I'd do…how I'd feel…how I could handle it."

This time Oliver shifted so he could place his hand on Felicity's cheek and look into her face. "Do you  _want_  to have a baby?"

"Don't," Felicity started.

"Felicity," Oliver argued slowly and deliberately against her protest, "Do  _you_   _want_  a baby?"

Although this was exactly the conversation she had wanted to avoid, she knew she had to answer him. She pressed her lips together and couldn't stop the tears that pooled in her eyes. She had been asking herself this very question for more than months. And now was the moment for her to answer.

She gave Oliver a slow, nervous nod, followed by a simple, tearful, "Yes."

Oliver couldn't help the closed-lip smile that automatically formed on his face. His tears were obvious as well, hearing his wife's heartfelt hope.

"I do too," Oliver answered her seriously. "Felicity, I want  _us_ to have a baby together. William is wonderful and he  _is_ our son. But I really do want a baby for us. I want to wrap my arms around you and put my hands on your belly and feel our baby moving. I want to watch you holding our baby. Do you remember when Sara was born and you were standing there with Lyla when I came by the hospital?"

Felicity nodded, listening intently.

"God, all I could think about in that moment, was how beautiful you would be, holding our baby and how amazing it would be to share that with you."

"But Oliver –" Felicity again tried to interject.

"Let  _me_  worry about you, and our baby, please?" Oliver requested straight from his heart. "No, oh God, no, I don't want you to be paralyzed, ever again. I want to take every precaution against that that we can. But Baby, if this is something you want to share with me…I want to share it with you. I want to make a baby with you and go to birthing classes and pick out a bassinet and diapers." He chuckled at the thought and was happy to see her smile at his enthusiasm.

"And, if the bio-stimulator causes an issue… if it hurts the baby, or if the paralysis comes back… then Felicity, we will go through that together. We can't face those hurdles if we don't even try, right? But you've gotta promise me that you won't keep that kind of stuff from me if it happens, okay? You can't run away from it. You can't run away from me. Promise me you won't run away. You'll let me be there to help you make decisions. We're talking about  _our_  baby,  _our_  family, Felicity.  _OURS."_

She let her tears fall. She let her husband wipe them away. And then she let her fears also tumble away.

As she began kissing Oliver he noticed her hunger and eagerness and realized that he must've told her exactly what she needed to hear.

Her hand reached to his waist and pulled him back toward her. And as he so often did, Oliver wrapped his arms around her body and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. They took a second to smile at each other.

Felicity raised up momentarily, not at all uncomfortable sitting completely bare against his pelvic bone. "We need to make an appointment with Dr. Barton. I need to have the I.U.D. removed."

"Okay," Oliver nodded, taking her hands into his and helping her steady herself as she balanced on top of him.

"You asked if I want to have  _a_  baby?" Felicity looked lovingly into his eyes.

"Yeah, and you said 'yes'," Oliver reminded her.

Felicity nibbled on her bottom lip, shyly, as she continued her thought, "I don't just want to have  _a_  baby…I want to have  _your_  baby."

Oliver smiled at her. He stared into her eyes sharing a smile much like they had shared on their wedding day, when their thoughts and emotions had finally synchronized.

And then he wagged his eyebrows at her, feeling a very familiar warmth permeating their lower extremities. "Wanna practice?" he grinned mischievously and rotated his hips to give her an even better indication of his approval.

"What else exactly were you thinking we'd do in this position?" Felicity sat up a bit straighter, flaunting her obvious nakedness.

Oliver groaned. His hands found her waist, attempting to shift her further down his body to curb his growing tension. "Do you want to lock the door?" he grinned one more time.

Felicity bent down, kissing his lips and beginning her descent into their second 'breakfast' of the day.

"Frack it," she spoke against his lips. "I don't think DD will disapprove."

* * *

When Felicity finally decided she was ready to get out of bed she begrudgingly allowed Oliver to put on his sweats and a fresh t-shirt as she grabbed clothes to take to the shower. Oliver watched her with a smile as she put back on his t-shirt that she had slept in overnight.

He noted, with a roll of his eyes, that at least the shirt was long enough to cover her bare toosh as she opened the bedroom door, slipped across the hallway and into the bathroom.

As he debated what to do next Oliver took a second to look around the guest bedroom. He quickly recognized that 'guest' didn't really describe this room. As Donna had said the previous night, this was apparently his and Felicity's room.

There were no less than four picture frames that help photographs of them together. One included Donna and Noah, Felicity's father, at the wedding reception in Star City. Another was Oliver, Felicity and William being what appeared to be a typical family.

Oliver had to smile at the always-quirky school picture in a smaller frame on the dresser. William's smile included the braces which had been part of Samantha's responsibility and then Felicity's. The change in parental units had included a change in orthodontists. Oliver took a deep breath. He recalled Felicity's research into that matter and her determination to find a specialist that would care for their son with the utmost confidence.

The other picture in the room was one he didn't recognize until he stood right in front of it. The 8x10 frame was a little more worn than the others, a testament to a few more years of sitting in sunlight on top of a dresser or bedside table.

He stared for several moments at the high school version of his wife. She wore her cap and gown with pride, tassels and stoles showing the accolades she had earned in those years. Oliver had to smile.  _How on earth…_  had she fallen in love… with him.

He picked up the frame and ran a finger over her face. Her strawberry blonde hair looked more like Donna's. Oliver could only guess – and would likely never truly ask – that she started dying it blonde following her goth experience in college. He could only imagine Donna's reaction to  _that_  period of Felicity's life.

The gentle smile was etched on his face with so many thoughts that he was suddenly unable to wrap his mind around them all. Felicity…William…the three of them as a family…a mother-in-law who apparently was accepting them all as her own…and the idea that there could be an addition to their family…

Oliver stood, letting his eyes wander over the pictures one more time. Then he straightened up the bed and decided to wander to the bathroom because he really wanted to hug his wife again before heading downstairs.

When he found the door locked, he knocked gently, figuring she wouldn't hear the sound over the running water, but he underestimated Felicity's hearing. He heard the water turn off and her concerned voice, "Oliver?"

"Yeah, um, sorry, I was just going to tell you that I'm going downstairs to find some breakfast," he knew for some reason he sounded almost nervous.

"O-kay," Felicity scrunched her eyebrows together wondering why it was so important for him to tell her that. It wasn't like they were in a hotel and he was leaving their room. "You alright?" She wondered out loud.

Oliver chuckled at himself. "Yeah, yes, I'm fine. I just…I'm… I'm heading downstairs."

Felicity grinned. She was tempted to step out of the shower, open the door and give him a nice wet hug. However, she could imagine Donna walking up the stairs at that same time and this would be another scene that she'd prefer to keep from her mother.

"Mom loves you," she decided to try and encourage him. "Talk to her about your cooking skills. Make her breakfast. You're the Green Arrow for goodness sake and Mr. Super Chef. I  _know_  you can talk to her for half an hour. If you can't, just text her some emojis. You two love texting, don't you?" She laughed.

"That's enough," Oliver pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes at Felicity's joking.

"Hey, Oliver?" Felicity smiled, knowing he was probably scowling because she was picking on him.

"Hmmm?"

"I love you," she pulled the shower curtain back enough to look toward the door knowing he was standing just on the other side.

"Love you, too," he responded before turning on his heels and heading toward the kitchen.

* * *

"Good morning!" Donna practically chirped as she spotted Oliver coming down the stairs.

"Is it still?" Oliver wondered with a smile.

"Just barely," Donna looked at the clock. "You two succeeded in sleeping in till 10:30 – that's well into the afternoon on the opposite coast," she raised her eyebrows and almost laughed when she saw the slight blush on Oliver's cheeks.

"Uh, yeah," Oliver used his right hand to nervously massage his left bicep as he stood there looking at Felicity's mother. Did he just fudge over the fact that they had actually been awake for a few hours and just chose to spend that time alone, together?

Donna laughed at him with a "Ha!" of sorts that Oliver quickly understood. No words necessary, his mom-in-law knew more than he cared to believe.

She then backed down, getting up from her seat on the couch and pointing toward the kitchen, inviting Oliver to follow her.

"Are you hungry?" Donna quickly pointed to a seat at the kitchen table where there was fresh fruit and a couple of boxes of cereal waiting. She grabbed the milk from the refrigerator and a bowl from the cabinet, setting both in front of her son-in-law as she still awaited his answer.

"Yeah," Oliver smiled and thanked her, "actually, I guess I am pretty hungry."

Donna tilted her head and looked at him with a knowing glare, then decided against calling him out any further. She would save that for her daughter, perhaps, after finding out more about their conversations on the troubling topic that had brought Felicity to Vegas.

"Coffee?" Donna offered and Oliver gladly nodded as he began putting cereal in his bowl.

She poured a cup for him out of the fresh pot she had so kindly started when she heard the shower running. And she freshened her own cup before bringing both back to the table and taking the seat across from her handsome son-in-law.

"So," Donna rested her chin on her hand as she watched him take a couple of bites. "Did you two  _sleep_  well?" She hoped she was only prying slightly.

Oliver looked at her and smiled. "I think so, I know I did. Will called earlier and talked to Felicity. I'm pretty sure the phone woke Felicity up and then her talking woke me up."

"I talked to him earlier as well," Donna mentioned. "He didn't realize how early it was over here so I'm glad he called my phone and not yours. I hope I settled his nerves a little bit. Poor guy, he's worried about his… about Felicity."

Oliver stalled for a moment as Donna stumbled slightly over her referral to Felicity and William's relationship.

"Did he use her name, or did he call her 'mom' when he talked to you?" Oliver wondered.

Donna thought for a second. "He started out asking about 'Felicity', but once we were chatting he called her 'mom'." She watched Oliver's face as he thought about what she was saying.

"Felicity is his mom now Donna. She's perfectly fine with him calling her that. Will has been going back and forth with it, but I think, after yesterday and how concerned he is about her… Does that bother you? I mean, since he isn't Felicity's biological son…"

"Maybe not biological, but he is  _my_  son, haven't we determined that?" The voice from the doorway slightly startled Donna and Oliver both but neither was about to disagree with Felicity as she slowly walked over to Oliver and squirmed her way onto his lap like a 4 year old.

"It doesn't bother me in the least," Donna answered without hesitation. "And he is my grandson. Don't you all forget that while I spoil him."

Felicity smiled at her mother and was even more content when Oliver slid his chair backwards enough to accommodate both of them, and wrapped his arms around her. She easily grabbed his cup and took a long drink of the warm coffee.

Donna grinned at both of them.

"What?" Felicity held the cup in her hands, warming her fingers and watching her mother.

"When you and William were here months ago you wouldn't dare come downstairs without being fully dressed. Now here you are in a bathrobe with your wet hair up in a towel. Did you think Hubby-Dearest here couldn't handle an hour with me?" she joked as Felicity looked down at her own attire.

The younger woman hated to admit it, but her mother was right.

"Or did you miss him soooo much that you couldn't stand being away from him until you at least put on your bra?" Donna pushed the issue just enough for Oliver to blush again and Felicity's mouth dropped open.

"Mother!" Felicity's eyes widened – but again, Donna was actually correct. "I…"

Donna shook her head and pointed a well-manicured, long fingernail in the couple's direction. "You should know, for future reference…" she pointed toward the ceiling and moved her finger in a circular motion, "thin walls. You don't have to lock the door, but yeah, the wall thing…." She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

As much as Oliver wanted to seem horrified, he could only bring himself to wear the blush on his face with pride. He felt Felicity take and let out a deep breath before he placed his forehead on the back of her shoulder and then kissed that same spot softly.

Felicity then huffed, quickly and softly. "Good to know," she offered to her mother with a sarcastic smile and a tilt of her head.

Donna flicked her fingers toward her daughter, intentionally shoo'ing her off of Oliver's lap. "Would you go get dressed please? Oliver and I are enjoying a conversation here. Take your time, we will be just fine. I promise."

Felicity pouted slightly, took another drink of Oliver's coffee, stole a bite of his cereal and then stood from his hold. She turned to look at him, offering her pouty look as well which made him smile widely.

"I love you," he offered and reached up to catch her chin between his thumb and index finger. She bent down for a kiss and Oliver held her just a second longer. "He  _is_  your son. No questions asked."

Felicity's face brightened up with that thought urging her to plant another kiss on her husband's lips.

She looked back at her mother and raised her eyebrows. "Happy?" she knew Donna understood the rhetorical question.

Donna grinned at her daughter sweetly, "More than you know, Baby Doll, more than you know."

Oliver and Donna both watched as Felicity nearly floated out of the kitchen and out of sight for another few minutes.

* * *

"Did you get her to open up to you last night?" Donna took another sip of coffee and looked at Oliver more seriously.

He understood where she was going without hesitating.

Oliver nodded in response and took a deep breath. "Last night, this morning, I think she and I are on the same page now, or at least getting much, much closer to it."

"Oliver, Hon, this bio-stimulator thing… I don't understand the concern. If it's helping her walk, how could it hurt her chances of having a baby?" Donna wondered with a worried look.

He pushed his bowl a bit further back on the table and clasped the coffee cup with both hands, leaning his forearms onto the table. Oliver took a deep breath. "I don't completely understand it either, but I know it requires a power source, a battery kind of thing. There are electric impulses – I don't know, maybe like a pace maker? When she was paralyzed it kind of sparked the nerves in her spinal cord to wake up and listen to the instructions the brain was sending. She and Curtis are the geniuses. All I know is they implanted it and then a couple of weeks later she stood up and walked out the door."

Donna didn't let him dwell on that unhappy last part for more than a split second.

"But then you two got trapped in some kind of explosion and the thing stopped working?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, again, though, I do not know what happened. Both of us were jolted by the explosion. I don't completely understand if the blast dislodged the stimulator, or if it was something with the electric or power supply. Curtis had to fix it after we were rescued."

"You aren't planning on her being around explosions if she gets pregnant, are you?" Donna's gaze shifted between Oliver's eyes, still very unaware of the various life-threatening events that Felicity had been involved in, courtesy of her husband.

"No," Oliver put a hand behind his head and rubbed the short hair aimlessly. He stood up to get more coffee thinking about Donna's words.

"But if the baby presses against her spine, or if the electrical pulses affect a baby's development…" Oliver leaned against the counter now furrowing his eyebrows because the weight of those thoughts were sinking more deeply into his mind.

"That's what Felicity said," Donna spoke softly and watched him. "Are you prepared to handle the 'what-if's' Oliver?" She wasn't sure if he would answer her or not.

Oliver stared at an imaginary spot on the floor. "I don't know," he looked up at Donna, understanding just a touch of what Felicity had gone through initially. Unlike his wife, Oliver needed to hear the words a few different times before they sunk in. "But I told her to let me worry about her and our baby if I need to."

He looked back at Donna and reiterated the words he had asked Felicity earlier, "If we don't try we won't know, right?"

Donna tilted her head and looked at him. "Will you love her, through whatever, Oliver?"

"Of course," he answered with a slight edge of disbelief at her question.

"Just make sure she knows that. My daughter is a strong woman. We both know that. And I can tell you that she is even stronger when she knows that  _you_  are by her side. She loves you with everything that's in her."

Donna went to Oliver and placed a hand on his bicep. She squeezed gently and offered him her best, mother's smile.

"If we have a baby, you know we're going to need you, too, right DD?" He smiled as he used Williams' pet name for her.

Donna raised her chin with confidence. "Is that what you both want?"

Oliver paused, waiting for her to clarify her question.

"Do you both want a baby?" She chanced the direct option. "I know it's not my business. It's up to the two of you, but…"

"Yes," again, Felicity's voice snuck up on both of them. She stood just inside the kitchen in a pair of jeans, and a pink t-shirt that she had thrown into her suitcase.

Donna smiled at her daughter but looked back at Oliver. "Then you just try to keep me away from my  _other_  grandbaby."

The three of them laughed, together, hope and a bit of excitement beginning to linger on this emotional-roller-coaster of a topic.

Felicity immediately wandered toward Oliver and let him wrap her in his arms. She tilted her head back, with her still-wet hair and gladly accepted the kiss that he placed on her lips.

Donna watched as the kiss went on a bit longer than she expected.  _Lost in each other_ … She was now realizing how much those words described the two people in front of her. And, she loved them all the more for it.

"So," Donna spoke, knowing she was mainly talking to herself, "I need to run to the grocery to get stuff for dinner tonight. I assume you two are staying again tonight? Anywho…that means you'll have the house to yourself. Should I call you before I come home or just shield my eyes when I walk in the front door?"

Oliver couldn't help but laugh. Felicity laughed as well, snuggling her face tightly to Oliver's chest.

"Mother, we have other ways to occupy our time, you know that, right?" Felicity called after her mom as she went into the living room.

Donna stopped for a moment, gave that statement a second of thought and then responded.

"In an empty house, no pre-teen to interrupt, and no work calls coming in? With a hunk like Hubby-Dearest there I'd take advantage of him!"

Felicity and Oliver's eyes both flew open and mouths went dry momentarily. Ms. Smoak was out the door without another word or comment. And, as the flush of their cheeks subsided Felicity had to admit, she agreed on this topic with her mother yet again.

"Do you remember how you got that little scar from the dryer in Ivy Town…" her eyes flashed at her husband and he shook his head until she tossed him an animal-like snarl.

"You know, I still haven't showered this morning," Oliver tried without much effort to dissuade her.

"Good," another flame lit in Felicity's bright eyes. "We'll both need one after doing the laundry."

**Chapter Six – Understanding**


	7. Being Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short, sweet, and the last chapter (Epilogue to follow). This one doesn't quite excite me like I'd hoped it would. I think this stems from some negative vibes about whether or not there could be a potential Felicity pregnancy on the show this season. Sounds like a couple of the folks with the show aren't in favor of it - and that's fine...just kind of bummed me a bit in the middle of the writing process.
> 
> So okay...there's my downfall...sorry about that!
> 
> Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter. I appreciate you reading and reviewing! Thanks for your input and support. :) ((BTW, if you want to send me some positive Olicity vibes to help me stay on track, they would be MUCH, MUCH, MUCH appreciated! ;) Pretty please?!))
> 
> KTOLF!  
> -adcg  
> \-----

**Chapter 7 – Being Queen**

"You know, there are a couple of things we haven't talked about in this chaos," Felicity pulled her suitcase through the door of their apartment and stopped to toss her sweater onto the couch.

"What's that?" Oliver wondered.

They had grabbed a cab from the airport, happy that they had taken the 6AM flight from Vegas in order to get themselves home mid-afternoon…with a little time before William got home from school. With a call to Raisa she had time to clear out, leaving them with the comforts of home, minus an additional warm body.

"What happens if we can't get pregnant, Oliver?" Felicity turned to look at her husband as he, too, tossed his jacket on the couch and stood next to his small suitcase.

"I mean, we just assume that this is going to happen, but what if it doesn't?" Oliver looked at her as Felicity began a babbling rampage of sorts. Normally he would listen to her with half an ear, trying to pick up key words that would clue him in to her entire speech. This time he got the feeling he better listen much more closely as she continued to ramble.

"Sure, you and Samantha obviously had no problem conceiving, but that was before you spent five years in hell and another half dozen years getting beat up by wackos here at home and drugged up with Vertigo." Oliver took those words to heart and honestly, they hurt.

"Who's to say you can do your part in this baby venture?" the final words tumbled out of Felicity's mouth almost as quickly as the thoughts hit her.

She was left standing there staring at her husband who was a little dumbfounded, now hearing over and over again the words she had just said.

Oliver tapped a hand against his suitcase handle and looked away from her. She made valid points and he didn't have an answer. All of a sudden, his heart hurt.

"I don't know," he offered a bit solemnly. She wasn't necessarily looking for an answer to her rhetorical rhetoric, but that was all he had to offer at the moment. Oliver grabbed his suitcase and headed toward their bedroom to unpack the few pieces of clothing he had taken on the trip.

"Oliver, wait," Felicity watched him walk away from her. It was obvious, now, that her stream of words had affected him. She decided to think through her current thoughts before chasing after him.

Just a minute or so later she slowly walked into their room to see him rummaging through his suitcase. Her next words came out softly, hoping they might have an apologetic effect. "That came out all wrong, I'm sorry," she tried to offer without approaching him completely.

Oliver shook his head and made eye contact with her for just a split second. "No, you're right. All valid points." He looked into his suitcase not really paying attention to what he was doing now that she was in the room. "The bio-stimulator may not cause any problems at all. Especially if I'm sterile. It would make sense. As much as you and I have been together in the past couple of years and there's not even been a pregnancy 'scare'…" he turned his back on her, heading to their bathroom to put away his toiletry bag.

"Oliver," Felicity started again. "I've had birth control…since college, you know that. You know…" she stepped toward the bathroom only to practically run into him as he was coming out, "Oliver, don't do this…"

She grasped onto his arm to make him turn around and face her. "I'm babbling. I'm not going to make excuses, but you know I didn't mean…"

She cut her thought off as she did recall a 'scare' that she didn't share with Oliver. There had been a couple, actually that resulted in her buying and taking pregnancy tests. Both had been negative, much to Felicity's relief at that time. She debated sharing that news with him now. But seeing the distant look on his face kept her from contributing another word.

Oliver looked down at her with dark, sad eyes, "But what you said is true, Felicity. And obviously it's things that you've thought about. Otherwise they wouldn't just be dropping out of your mouth like that. I'm sorry this was 'easy' for me and Samantha. If it doesn't happen for us," he looked over top of her head and took a deep, shaky breath, "then I guess it just doesn't happen. I hope you won't hold that against William."

He pulled his arm out of her grasp most of the way and waited.

"You know I won't do that. Oliver, I love William, I love you!" Felicity let her hand slide off his arm to allow him to walk away from her.  _Damn her babbling…damn it, damn it, damn it!_

"Wait!" Felicity followed him out of their bedroom and back to the living room where Oliver was picking up his jacket. "Don't you dare walk out of here!" Her eyes focused on his hand on his coat. She found herself practically jumping to grab the garment from him to make sure he didn't put it on and walk out the door.

"I was just going to put it in the closet," Oliver's boyish whine told her he was still trying to digest the last few minutes.

Felicity took the jacket from him and tossed it back to the couch. She quickly put both her hands on his biceps and gripped tightly.  _Dear Lord, she loved holding onto his arms._  She followed that with tiptoeing and stretching her face to reach his lips.

She knew at this moment he wouldn't allow himself to react to her kiss but she was still determined to give him this moment.

Oliver closed his eyes as she pressed her lips to his. In his current state of mind he was a little too hurt to give into her advances but he couldn't bring himself to pull away.

Felicity lowered her heels to the floor, kept hold of his arms and continued looking at his face of discontent. "What was it you told me, just a couple of days ago, when I couldn't think straight? When I was worried about not giving  _you_  a baby – which is still a possibility, Oliver – do you remember what you told me?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, his thoughts lost in this moment and not the past couple of days.

"You said you didn't fall in love with me to have a baby. You didn't marry me to have a baby."

Oliver nodded at her, remembering, but still without any semblance of a smile on his face.

"I'm going to stand here and tell you the same thing," Felicity looked into his eyes with all the love and caring she possibly could. "I fell in love with you, Oliver Queen, because of your passion to help others. I fell in love with you because you made such a difference in my life that I just can't even imagine my life now without you. I married  _you_  because you've shown me love like I have  _never_  known it before. You've loved me, in spite of who I am, in spite of what I say, in spite of me babbling completely stupid or hurtful thoughts because I don't think before I speak in those situations," she paused simply to catch a breath and noticed that he did have the slightest of smiles now on his lips.

"And, it's because of those reasons and many, many,  _MANY_  more that I do want to have a baby with you. But –" Felicity put her hands on Oliver's cheeks and made sure he was looking into her eyes, "if for  _whatever_  reason we can't have a baby, we still have each other. That is where we started our lives together and that is what truly matters right here, right now. Okay?"

Oliver didn't move. He continued holding her gaze with his eyes, the look on his face not giving away his feelings. Felicity understood that look. It was one she had seen many times during her years with him. It was Oliver lost in thought; Oliver contemplating the deepest thoughts in his heart and soul.

She gave him another few seconds before moving her hands to the sides of his head with her thumbs trailing over his short beard, lightly skimming his lips. "Okay?" she asked again.

Oliver looked at her lips, beginning to come out of his thoughts about her words and waking up to her touch. "Okay," he whispered.

* * *

Oliver couldn't say that the idea of him being sterile didn't weigh on his mind, but after his wife's follow-up speech and her assurances that it was the two of them, and William, against the world, his mood lightened.

They went back to unpacking and tossing laundry into the hampers at the foot of their bed.

"Oops," Felicity mentioned when she reached the bottom of her suitcase. She held up a satiny piece of something that took her several seconds to decipher. "Ummmmm," she paused, finally finding shoulder straps – she assumed.

"What's that?" Oliver glanced over her shoulder not really paying close attention to what she was holding.

Felicity stared for another minute at the rather miniscule article of clothing. She did notice the small piece of paper clipped to the pin that was apparently holding together the nightie and matching panties.

"Oh Dear God," she whispered, of course gaining more of Oliver's attention.

"What?" he asked again, now a little more than curious.

Oliver stepped behind Felicity and finally got a good look at the outfit in her grasp. "Wellll," he couldn't help the grin that began to tug at his lips. "Where'd you get  _that_?"

"Hush," Felicity sucked in a breath as she crumpled the material in her hand just enough to get to the note. "My mother apparently thinks she's helping our cause…"

_"_ _I bet Hubby Dearest will enjoy this…"_

"Oh – My – God," Felicity froze in place as she heard Oliver chuckle right next to her ear in his sexy, soft voice. She jerked the nightie away from him before Oliver could get a hold on it but knew she would lose if he was determined to get it.

And, wrapping a single arm around her waist, he reached for the soft, slick material and easily forced it out of her grip.

"I am not wearing that," Felicity protested as he began running it through his fingers.

"I really do like your mom. Have I mentioned that?" Oliver's eyebrows raised as he glanced from the sexy clothing toward his wife.

"Oh, don't even…" Felicity tried to argue.

"You know," Oliver continued hugging her waist with one hand and held up the nightie in front of her with the other. "Wearing this  _might_  make up for that  _hurtful,_  inadvertent babbling a little earlier…" he bent his lips to the piercing at the top of Felicity's right ear and kissed it ever so gently.

"Stooop," Felicity's attempt to boss him around was far from effective.

"You put this on…" Oliver whispered, she shivered in his hold and he felt her shallow breathing, "then I get to take it off of you…"

"I'm … not…" Felicity's whisper fell on deaf ears.

"Dad?" William's voice caused them both to jump.

Oliver quickly dropped the night clothes onto the bed and gave Felicity a quick but revealing squeeze.

" _Door – Lock"_ Felicity whispered through gritted teeth.

"Will! Hey, Buddy, you're home!" Oliver turned around to face his son with a smile on his face and red cheeks that he hoped their son wouldn't notice.

Felicity took a second to take a deep breath.

"Mom, are you okay?" William stepped into the room and waited for her to turn around.

With one glance toward Oliver, completely blaming him for this bit of embarrassment, she turned around and opened her arms to the dark haired boy who was already as tall as her.

William walked to her happily, letting her wrap her arms around him and hug him as she normally did.

That made him feel much better about the past few days.

"Hellooo?" Oliver looked at the two of them and opened his arms up as well. Felicity snarled at him before releasing William and letting her two guys share a hug.

"How's the research project?" Felicity wondered, attempting to get back to the normal back-to-school mode. "Raisa left snacks in the fridge for you."

William rolled his eyes slightly. "I just need to get my information into the PowerPoint. And I think I need to put it on a flash drive so I can just plug and play it at school on Friday. Will you proof it for me once I've got it together?"

Felicity nodded and smiled. "Absolutely!"

William turned to Oliver trying not to leave him out. "You can take a look at this one too, Dad. It's not math."

Oliver grabbed his son by one shoulder and playfully pushed him toward the door of the bedroom. "You're as funny as your mom. Get outta here!"

William and Felicity both laughed. Picking on Oliver for his lack of math skills would never get old.

Once William was out of the room Oliver turned back to the bed and placed his hands on the silky piece that Donna had gifted to Felicity.

"Just once?" He turned on the boyish charm that Felicity was quite sure he had used about a million times in his life on girls he was trying to entice.

"No," she responded with a nearly mothering tone.

Oliver looked down at his fingers that were still running aimlessly over the material. He looked back at his wife, obviously imagining her in the sexy piece. He swallowed and tried once more.

"Please, Felicity?" He picked it up, stepped toward her and held the nightie up to her shoulders, watching how it might fit her body perfectly. "I'll beg if you want me to."

Felicity rolled her eyes and let a deep sigh escape her lungs.  _He was irresistible and he knew it. She knew she couldn't say no, no matter how hard she tried._

"Maybe," she placed the tip of her index finger on his chest, pushing with slight force. It gave him a little hope in the form of the possibility and a softer voice. "But only if you promise to  _lock the door_. The last thing I need right now is our pre-teen son walking in on us baby-making."

Oliver grinned a smug smile, very proud of his accomplishment. Not only was she agreeing to wear a sexy outfit for him – which she did more often than Felicity actually realized – but she was referring to their future family.

Her willingness to 'work' with him, to compromise, to simply be  _his_  made Oliver's uncertainty from the past hour drift away. He tossed the nightie set back to the bed and took the chance to wrap his arms around Felicity's waist and lift her off her feet.

She smiled at him, her hair flowing down to her shoulders, out of the ponytail that she had worn for their flight home. The finger she had used to poke his chest now traced his lips as they smiled at each other.

_There it was again_ , Felicity nibbled her bottom lip as she realized she was hopelessly in love with this man and completely lost in him.

She didn't hesitate to lower her lips to his and shared one of the most tender kisses she had ever experienced.

Baby or no baby they would be happy. William could wander in their room anytime he wanted – provided the door wasn't locked – and their family would be complete.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Oliver asked as he sat her back on her feet.

"Because I'm willing to wear a sexy nightgown for you?" Felicity teased.

"Nah," Oliver shook his head and placed his hand on her cheek. "Just because you're mine," he smiled as she closed her eyes at his touch.

She would always be his girl, his wife, his Queen.

**Chapter Seven – Being Queen**


	8. Epilogue - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting excited about Arrow Season 7 even though it's still 2 months away! But, thank God for YouTube and Netflix to help me get my Olicity fix! Hey - don't ever hesitate to catch me on Facebook and toss me an Olicity pic or gif - PLEASE! lol
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this 'beginning to the end' of this story. Thanks for all your reviews and comments! I love them - as I like to say, your reviews feed my muse! haha!
> 
> KTOLF Everyone! ;)  
> -adcg
> 
> Oh! PS - when you come to the name 'Ayser' in this story... yes, I found that it's defined as a 'male' name, but I know a young woman by that name who is a strong and confident person! The name is pronounced 'Ace-uhr' with the nickname being Ays, or 'ace'. I hope that makes sense!  
> \-----

**Epilogue – Part 1**

"Oliver!" Felicity raised her voice from the bathroom knowing that her husband was either putting away laundry in their closet or he was making something for brunch on this Sunday morning.

He had rerouted her plan for spending an extra hour in bed together with a promise of French toast – a treat he knew she had craved for the past nine months. And, he had fulfilled  _that_  craving for her almost every weekend in that time frame.

At this moment, however, she had another craving, one that her husband had avoided fulfilling for a few weeks now. Frankly, she was a bit put out with him about it and had the urge to go into full CEO mode on him if he didn't give in to  _these_  wishes.

"Are you okay?" Oliver hurried to open the unlocked bathroom door just enough to peer into the mirror to see her reflection.

"Not really," Felicity answered.

He noticed that her voice didn't sound anxious or harried. Their eyes had met through the mirror when he opened the door. But now he was staring at her as she unwrapped the oversized bath towel from her naked body. Her breasts were larger now, and  _my god_ , she looked absolutely beautiful and practically scrumptious.

Oliver attempted to even out his breaths and tightened his grip on the door handle, determined not to go any farther into the room.

"What's…what's wrong?" He cleared his throat, inadvertently letting her know that seeing her this way was having an effect on him.

"What's  _wrong_?" Felicity let the towel drop to the floor, walked to the door and opened it fully, making sure to put her hands on her waist, nearly forcing him to look at her body – at least some part of it.

Oliver shifted back and forth on his heels. He swallowed roughly and still attempted to avoid … those eyes. But as a typical man, his vision shifted lower on her body, to the pert breasts that were obviously trying to steal his attention.

Felicity smiled with her top teeth grazing her bottom lip.

"What's wrong…" Felicity stepped as close to him as she could get, the swell of her belly pushing against his groin, her hands working their way up from his chest to his trim beard and then holding onto his cheeks. She tiptoed, making sure to let the entire front of her body press against him as she placed a hungry kiss to his lips.

Oliver's resolve was gone. Hell, it had been gone for weeks. If she had pushed this issue at any point; well, if she had pushed it farther than a whine, he would've given in to her. This morning, with their son spending the day with a friend, he knew her push had come to shove and he was going to be on the losing end – well…losing this battle certainly wasn't the worst thing that could happen.

He moved his hands to her waist, very gently caressing her hip bones as he enjoyed her kiss, welcomed it and didn't hesitate to join her.

Felicity could feel his excitement through his jeans and realized even more how much she had missed him… _having_  him.

She pulled back and lowered her heels to the floor, a little short of breath but enjoying the fact that her husband was also breathing heavily with his eyelids still closed.

"Why won't you make love to me?" She finally asked, knowing she had his attention. "Am I not…attractive…right now?" Felicity thought he was practically mesmerized by her pregnant body, but over the past few weeks she began to wonder if she had thought wrong.

Oliver's eyelids lifted and he looked into her face with a most serious gaze. "What?"

Felicity's hands dropped to his wrists, exposing her body to him with a slight step backwards. "You haven't wanted to… touch me… in weeks. I thought you loved this," she placed one hand above her belly button which had practically disappeared.

"I…do," Oliver raised his eyebrows and slowly ran his eyes from where her hand sat, back to her eyes. "Felicity, me…us…not making love has  _nothing_  to do with how attractive you are. My  _GOD_ , you don't realize how attracted I am to you?"

"Well," Felicity pushed her baby belly against the pressure in his pants and smiled a little shyly. "This is the first time in about three weeks that you've let me get close enough to really  _feel_  it."

"Two weeks, four days and about two hours…" he supplied a little gruffly, letting her know that he was hyper-aware of the last time they had really been intimate.

Oliver bent his head down to kiss her again, and began to let his hands rub up and down her sides, his thumbs skimming her breasts and then wandering around her to cup her backside and pull her tightly against him.

Both of them groaned in pleasure. Felicity barely realized that her hips began to move almost instinctively as she devoured his kiss. Her craving for his touch, his kisses, his hands on her body, all came together. She wound her hands around his neck practically begging him not to take his time.

"Felicity," Oliver pulled back, breathed a slow breath through his parted lips and attempted to regain control.

"No, Oliver, please," she tugged at his shirt doing her best to get it over his head, pleading with him, physically, to at least remove part of his clothing.

He breathed deeply again. "I don't want to chance hurting you…or the baby." He met her eyes finally letting her see that there was a fear in them. One that he hadn't mentioned to her or allowed her to witness, obviously, for the past month.

"Oh Baby," Felicity put a hand on his cheek and then used her other hand to place one of his on her abdomen. "Is that why?" Her eyebrows creased, the realization forming in her brain, at last.

Oliver nodded, a little sadness, a little embarrassment, and a lot of want written all over his face.

"We've gotten this far with our baby. I – I don't want to chance doing anything to hurt P.Q. …  _or YOU_ …" he emphasized. "God, Felicity, if something happened to you, now," he shook his head and she could see the tears in his eyes, "I'd never forgive myself."

_P.Q._ Felicity grinned, even while her husband was admitting his impassioned fear.  _They had opted to not find out the gender of their baby. William, at age 14, was not happy about that decision. And, since he had wanted a little sister for years, he started calling the unborn baby, 'Princess Queen'. Oliver had balked at the name until Felicity interceded and they agreed on using the initials 'P.Q.' They could stand for Princess or Prince Queen and they were a contribution from P.Q.'s older brother._

Once her mind bypassed the thought of  _P.Q._  and her husband's fear, she wrapped her hands around Oliver's waist, now determined not to let go of him until she somehow got what her body wanted, one way or another.

"Oliver," Felicity splayed her small hands along his lower back, feeling the familiar muscles and scar tissue beneath her fingertips.  _Oh God, even that was turning her on at this moment._

He pressed his lips together and watched her cute grin move into a determined expression as her eyes scanned his face, his neck, chest, and settled momentarily on where her nakedness and his clothed body met. She took a deep breath and moved her eyes back to his.

"I am 39 weeks pregnant. I –  _we_  – have been in Dr. Barton's office at least twice a week for the past six weeks…extra visits for the Braxton-Hicks contractions but still, no P.Q. yet. The doctor and all the tests she has run say our baby is  _just fine_. Strong heartbeat, growing well. She says  _I_  am fine. Blood pressure is fine, no signs of paralysis, or even tingly, pinched-nerve symptoms. Ok? I can  _feel_ anything and everything. And I would really like to feel something right now. No activity restrictions.  _That_ is the big one I need you to understand. Are you listening to me?"

Oliver nodded and yet there was still a pained look on his face. "I know," he managed to squeak out in a scared voice, "but if…"

Felicity put a finger over his lips. She knew she was losing ground with the slight change in the tension below Oliver's waistband.

"No – 'buts'. Oliver, I  _need_  you. Please. I am not talking about doing anything wild and crazy here. I just want my husband to make love to me. I am on the verge of having our baby and my body… Oliver, you have no clue… my body wants your hands all over me, right now. Every part of me that  _can_  crave sex…has been craving it –  _with you_ – for like two weeks now."

Oliver sucked in a breath.  _Well, how do you say no to that?_  She had successfully started the growing tension again.

As he thought about her words, Felicity's fingers began fumbling with the button on his jeans followed by the quick unzipping sound that took a little pressure off his tightening situation.

"So,"  _Oh, she was still…talking?_ "If you don't take me to the shower, or the bed, or  _take me_  somewhere, right now… I'm going to tackle you to the floor, strip you and … and…"

Oliver quickly put his lips over hers. He put his hands on her waist, thinking she would wrap her legs around him, reminiscent of so many times when he had lifted and carried her to a bed…or a mat…or a kitchen counter…

Their lips parted momentarily, as both of them realized this was a little different. She couldn't just hop into his arms on this occasion. They both smiled as reality hit them. So Oliver bent a little lower, wrapping his hands under her behind, still lifting his wife easily until she could squeeze her knees to his hips and reattach their lips.

When he lowered her to the bed Felicity reached toward him, wanting to help rid him of his other clothing. But Oliver shook his head, wanting her to simply lie there, on their bed, ready for him to join her.

"Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?" Oliver held her gaze as he slipped his jeans and boxers off his body.

Felicity blushed with a shy smile. Her eyes wandered over him fully as Oliver climbed into the bed beside her.

Oliver bent over and placed loving kisses on her belly, feeling the push of a little person, growing inside of her. He rubbed his cheek over the area, and then more kisses were placed up her sternum until he was able to rest his bearded chin between her breasts.

"You are so, so beautiful. Felicity Smoak Queen, I didn't think I could enjoy your body any more than I have since the first time we made love. But I was wrong."

He took slow moments placing kisses on the sides of her breasts, his hands massaging the baby bump and daring to dip onto her thighs dangerously close to the area that would quickly push Felicity over the edge.

Felicity moaned eagerly. She threaded her fingers through his hair and began writhing her legs, trying to make him slide his fingers across the hot slickness that she could feel building.

Oliver teased her and himself as he put one of his legs over one of hers, nestling himself as close to her as possible, laying one arm directly over her breasts as he then began kissing her collarbone, her shoulder, her neck and her jaw.

"Oliv-" Felicity breathed out and he smiled.

She could feel his full length against her thigh. When he pressed against her, his hips moving almost involuntarily, she tried to turn, to place his hardness again, between her legs. Instead he held her down with that one strong leg draped across hers.

As sexy as it felt, Felicity was again getting frustrated.

"Oliver," she found her breathy voice and wasn't amused at all when his response was a soft laugh against her earlobe.

"You realize my threat still stands, don't you?" She attempted to 'scare' him, followed by an "Mmmmm… yessss… more…" when his hardened length moved closer to her center and his fingers finally found their way into her heat.

"You're sure…" Oliver finally met her lips for a kiss and allowed her to wrap her arms around him pressing their bodies together. "This is ok?" He put his forehead on hers and watched her heavy eyelids open gingerly to speak to him.

"Mmmhmmm," she kissed his lips, nipping on his upper lip and then running her tongue over it sensuously.

"You truly know how to kill a man, don't you?" Oliver asked.

She grinned seductively but continued her kisses as their hands kept roaming, touching, kneading and pleasuring. "Only one," she answered before letting him move to her neck where his beard and lips left a trail of redness on her tender skin.

"By the way…" She breathed heavily and was very happy to feel him trying to find a position that would make their coupling most enjoyable for both of them. "Dr. Barton also said sex could induce labor."

"Is that so?" Oliver considered her words as he encouraged his wife to take one of their most pleasurable positions, straddling his waist.

"Mmm-hmmm" Felicity practically moaned as a single touch of his taut skin against her sensitivity brought her right to the brink.

Oliver matched with a groan of his own, truly realizing what three weeks away from his wife had caused them both.

And, while they each showed some restraint - P.Q always being considered - Mr. and Mrs. Queen took several more opportunities that day to make up for lost time trying to bring their little one into the world.

* * *

_(8 Months Later...)_  Oliver sat on the couch with eyes drooping. The sound of whimsical, childish music streamed from the television. At what point could his youngest offspring watch something along the lines of Armageddon…or even Superman?

The 8 month old in his arms squirmed a little, trying to find a comfortable fit in Dad's muscular arms while finishing the bottle which was supposed to be the key to a good night's sleep.

Oliver looked down at the little blue eyes that didn't appear to be tired in the least. "It's almost 10. You're supposed to be snoring right now so I can get myself into bed."

The little one reached up with an uncoordinated hand to pet Oliver's beard. The grin from behind the bottle nipple made Oliver roll his eyes. He stared at the little face, blonde hair with a reddish tint and Felicity's nose.  _God they had made a beautiful baby._

He leaned his head back just enough to get out of the little one's reach. "Not play time. It's sleepy time – for Daddy at least. What's got your sleep schedule all off kilter?"

The child cooed, pulling the bottle away from her mouth enough to smile at her father.

"Is that so?" Oliver spoke softly. He attempted to replace the bottle, but his daughter pushed it away and scrunched her face at him.

"I know, I know. It's not Mommy, but we can do this. She will be home in a couple of days." He tried to keep the softest of looks on his face which wasn't hard as he let the beauty of his daughter seep through him yet again.

The road to this little miracle had been somewhat rocky. What started with the startling call from Felicity's ob/gyn three years prior had weaved through a maze of enjoyment as they first worked to get pregnant which led to a disappointment in the form of a false positive home pregnancy test; then heartache when a miscarriage took their first real embryo and then finally the amazing life that Oliver now held in his arms.

It was enough to make him cry every time he had the opportunity to hold her and purely enjoy her life.

His only regret was that he hadn't had this chance with William. But they were still in an amazing place with their blended family.

Just as Oliver got the baby to settle back in with her bottle and leaned his head back against the top of the couch cushion, his first-born child came through the door.

Oliver immediately opened his eyes again and looked at 15 year old William with hands on his hips in deep thought.

As soon as William walked toward the couch his little sister spit the bottle out yet again and reached for him.

Without a word William scooped the little girl into his arms and his facial expression changed to a smile. "Why are you still up?" he asked, tickling her chin and loving how she talked to him in her baby babble.

Oliver whined slightly, a near role reversal between father and teenager. "She won't go to sleep for me. Why does she like you better than me? I've told you, the last two nights the only way we've gotten to sleep is me putting her down in mine and Mom's bed. She won't go in her crib, at-all."

William looked at his father. "Are you following mom's instructions? Sometimes you just have to put her down and let her cry herself to sleep. You know that. It's not like you aren't here at bedtime almost every night." His tone was almost sarcastic.

"I know," Oliver sighed. "But your mom just has the touch."

"Yeah, so why'd you let her go to Central City for a long weekend?" William again had a sarcastic edge.

"She needed it. You know she needed it. A girls' weekend will benefit her and us." Oliver answered and watched as William continued to make their little girl giggle – a far cry from the sleepiness she needed.

Finally Oliver stood up and motioned to William to pass the baby back to him. "We're going to bed. Whether she likes it or not," he grumbled slightly. "Are you alright?" He scrunched his eyebrows and looked more closely at William.

William let out a quick breath through his nose. "Yeah, but I was talking to the guys and I've been thinking… what would it take to change my name?"

* * *

At nearly midnight the bedroom door opened silently, letting a sliver of light enter the room from the hall nightlight. Felicity slipped her sweater off her shoulders and looked toward the bed where Oliver was obviously laying. But there was another smaller bundle moving around on Felicity's side of the mattress.

"Ayser Olivia Smoak Queen," Felicity whispered. "Why aren't you in your crib?"

"Felicity, Honey?" Oliver's sleepy voice spoke and his head turned toward the door. "Why are you home? What time is it?"

Felicity sat down on the wooden frame of the bed and quickly picked up their daughter. "First things first…why is Ayser in here?"

"She wouldn't go to sleep for me," Oliver pouted.

Felicity rolled her eyes in the darkness. "Meaning you couldn't stand to hear her cry for just a few minutes in her crib."

"You know I don't like it when either of my girls is crying," Oliver attempted.

"Ah-" Felicity scoffed at him. "Oliver, you're spoiling her. And I am not…"

Oliver quickly scooted toward her and reached up, finding her cheek in the limited light, trying to save himself. "You know you'll always be my girl, Felicity."

"Not working this time," Felicity cradled her baby girl in her arms and smiled at the little yawn that escaped the tiny lips.

Oliver tried a different approach, "Why are you back home already? You were supposed to be in Central City till Monday. Is everything okay?" he wondered somewhat seriously.

"Is William home?" Felicity wondered and could make out Oliver's nod as her eyes adjusted.

"Let me go put Ayser in bed. Stay awake if you can, Papa Bear," Felicity instructed.

"Wait! Wait…" Oliver put a hand on her arm before she could stand up with their daughter. "Let me give her a kiss," he sat up and placed a gentle kiss against Ayser's head and then pulled on his wife's arm enough that she also bent over and shared a short, lip-to-lip kiss with him.

"What am I going to do with you?" Felicity shook her head. She could feel Oliver's smile even though she couldn't actually see it.

"Love me?" He requested.

She let out a quick sigh. "If you don't learn to put Ays down in her crib for the night I can't make any promises," Felicity smiled in response to Oliver's quick  _"But-"_ response.

She loved the fact that he was so in love with her – with them, and she with him. He may have been their city's Deputy Mayor 'Handsome', but he was hers completely.

He knew her early return was probably some kind of punishment for letting their daughter sleep in their room while Felicity was away. He was hoping he wouldn't get caught, but… If William had tattled on him he would make the boy pay!

"Hey," Oliver grabbed her bicep gently again before Felicity could get up, "I'm glad you're home," he smiled at her and tugged on her arm until she bent down and gave him another kiss. "I missed you," he hoped she could see how much he meant that.

"Hold that thought," Felicity kissed his lips sweetly and then got up, carrying the baby in her arms.

Oliver rolled back to his side of the bed and put his hands under his head, waiting for Felicity to come back. He could hear her bare feet padding down the hallway to the baby's bedroom. He could hear Felicity humming to little Ayser when they entered the room, and even bit louder when she laid their little girl down into her crib. The baby monitor sitting on the dresser picked up every minute sound.

He cringed when he heard the whimper and an outright whine from the overly-tired little body.

"Aa-aaa" Felicity gently chastised the baby and immediately the cry stopped. "Mommy doesn't play that game. Daddy," she hesitated, making sure she was speaking directly into the monitor microphone, "is a big softie who is going to  _have_  to get on board with the bedtime routine if he  _ever_ wants Mommy to have enough energy again for the nighttime routine that  _he_  enjoys."

With that she stopped talking, patted the little girls back for another minute and then walked out of the room. Ayser was sound asleep. And, when Felicity walked back into their bedroom, she found Oliver grinning from a daydream that involved him, her, and a very early bedtime.

* * *

"Wipe that grin off your face," she smiled at him knowing exactly the types of thoughts that had apparently kept him awake for those few minutes that she was in the other room. "Between text messages, the train ride and then coming home to find my side of the bed occupied, I've got no energy for  _that_  right now."

"Sorry," Oliver apologized. He rolled onto his side and readjusted Felicity's pillows and the comforter as she quickly changed into one of his t-shirts and climbed into bed.

He moved back to his side of the bed and laid on his back, waiting for her to get situated. Then he stretched his arm out, offering her his shoulder for a pillow and Felicity easily accepted. "Is that a little better?" Oliver draped his arm over her shoulder and linked his hand with hers.

"Yeah," Felicity gave out a gentle sigh, happy to be home and in her husband's arms. "I missed you too, you know?"

"I am glad to hear that," Oliver placed a kiss into her hair. "I was afraid you would decide to take another week off because you were actually getting to sleep all night," he joked – or attempted to. "Which leads me to ask again… Why are you home already? Not that I mind, this is where  _I_  want you to be every night."

Felicity turned her head to place a kiss on his bicep and let out a sigh. "William," she started.

"Did he tell you I was letting Ayser sleep in here? That little tattle tale!" Oliver sounded like a wounded sibling.

"What?" Felicity raised her voice ever-so-slightly. "No, Oliver you're nuts."

"Ayser likes him better than me," he now whined.

"Would you stop?" Felicity smacked his arm and pulled herself out of his embrace in order to raise up on her elbow. With a hand on his chest, helping her balance she looked down at him in the faint light of the room and shook her head.

"William texted me this evening. He said he was hanging out with a couple of the guys. They were talking about school and how the teachers knew them all because of their older brothers or sisters. Will started wondering if they would know that he and Ayser are brother and sister because of their age difference, and because they have different last names. He wants to change his name."

Felicity ran her hand over Oliver's chest, thinking about the conversation she had shared with their son.

"It's not the first time he and I have talked about it, Oliver. There's a little piece of William that still wonders if he's really a part of this family because he doesn't share  _our_  last name."

She could tell this was something that might be hitting Oliver out of the blue. To give him time to consider her thoughts, she moved back into their comfortable pre-sleep positions with his forearm resting between her breasts as she linked her fingers with his.

"He told me the first part of that a little earlier. The part that he and the guys were discussing. It's the first time he's mentioned it to me," Oliver spoke into the darkness, feeling just a little hurt that William hadn't broached the subject, with him, before.

"Is it something you've thought about since he came into your life?" Felicity wondered and pulled his fingertips to her lips to place soft kisses against them.

"Well, yeah," Oliver answered softly. "I would love for him to have my last name. He is a Queen, Felicity. But I didn't want to mention it… I didn't want him to think that I was trying to take Samantha completely away from him. Clayton is what she wanted him to be, her name," he did his best to explain his thought process.

"Were you surprised when he asked about it?" She wondered.

"Yeah," Oliver admitted. "Did you tell him to tell me?"

Felicity nodded against his shoulder. "Will approached me about it while you were in prison. He was scared that if something happened to him or me – if we got separated for some reason – they would never get us back together because we had different last names. I assured him that we would be alright. And I told him that the name changing would need to be discussed with you. It wasn't some small decision that he and I could make without your input."

"Thank you," Oliver interjected, knowing she wasn't finished with her part of their chat.

"It's come up again a couple of times since you've been back with us. Especially before Ayser was born. I could tell he was feeling left out. Even as excited as he was and is, I think this is something we should talk to him about and consider. So when he texted me about it tonight, I told him he should talk to you."

Oliver wrapped his arm around her more tightly. He wasn't sure how to express to her how grateful he was, or the excitement that he was feeling over her support and her desire to make his son even more a part of their family.

When Felicity turned onto her side, he quickly pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Do you know how much I love you?" He whispered to her with an emotion-laced voice.

"Almost as much as I love you…I would guess," Felicity joked just slightly.

"I'm serious, Felicity," Oliver returned again with the threat of tears in his brusque sound. "I don't think I can ever tell you or show you how much you mean to me. I just… I can't… I don't know how I ever could."

The two of them fell silent until hearing the slightest sound on the baby monitor. Ayser's sigh and her body rustling against the sheet made Felicity smile. She had been a little overwhelmed by Oliver's words and hadn't had a clue how to respond.

She used her free arm that was draped across his waist to give him a tender hug, followed by a kiss on his pectoral muscle. "You don't have to show me, you know?" She placed another lingering kiss to the spot her lips could easily reach. "That's one of the things that makes our love so special, Oliver. I know…I just know how much you love me. I hope you realize how much I love you, too."

Oliver held a kiss to her scalp and squeezed her as tightly as he possibly could without injuring her. To which, Felicity laughed. "Oliver…" she laughed against his chest, over-acting her inability to breathe for just a moment.

Oliver laughed as well and relinquished his tight hold on her. "So family meeting about this tomorrow?"

"About how much we love each other?" Felicity joked. "Will ought to love that," she stated sarcastically.

"About changing his name," Oliver stated firmly with a finger poke to his wife's ribs.

"I think that's a really good idea," Felicity agreed easily.

"Now, can we get to sleep," Oliver requested. "Since you've had some nights to yourself I'm happy to say that Ays is all yours when she wakes up at 3 A.M."

Felicity sat up at that thought and looked down at Oliver's face. "If she has stopped sleeping through the night because you've been letting her sleep with you for  _two_  nights…"

Oliver could see his wife's wide eyes and felt that familiar bit of marital fear for a moment.

Felicity continued her makeshift tirade, "... _I_  will be changing my name and you can share your bed with your daughter from here on out."

Oliver snickered, knowing what she meant, but loving that her words still often came out with double, unintended, meanings.

The smack to his chest stung. He wouldn't deny that. Felicity  _did_  deny his kiss offering when she turned her back on him and moved her pillow to the edge of their bed. She pulled the covers up to her chin and also smacked his hand away when he tried to place it on her hip.

"I love you," Oliver smiled as he leaned over top of her and stole a kiss from her temple.

"Hmph," Felicity swore off his sentiment.

"You get some sleep, Sweetheart. I'll just make it up to you in the morning." Oliver grinned as he closed his eyes, happy to have his wife home.

Felicity smiled to herself behind the pouty exterior. She, too, was glad to be home – and she hoped he would keep his last promise…Oliver's wake-up 'calls' were one of the  _many_  reasons she was happy to be married to him.

**Epilogue - Part 1**


	9. Epilogue - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And here is the final hoorah! :) I hope you've all enjoyed their little journey. I have enjoyed your comments, messages and reviews and I truly appreciate you're reading! This story is also posted on FanFic.
> 
> Please don't hesitate to message me, or toss me a note via Facebook or Twitter - Anna Dean Cheek Gordon or adcgordon - I'm always happy to chat about Olicity fun! :D
> 
> Thanks again for reading and reviewing. This has been a fun story to experience!
> 
> KTOLF!  
> -adcg  
> \-----

**Epilogue – Part 2**

Oliver was awake when Felicity rolled herself out of bed and quietly made her way into their bathroom. He wouldn't admit it to her, but it was probably his fault that she woke up at 7:30AM.

He had stealthily woken at 6:00, made a bottle for Ayser, made sure their little girl was quiet and settled in her crib once more – he was a very capable father and they  _all_  knew that - and purposefully moved the baby monitor from their bedroom into William's.

But when he came back to bed at 6:45'ish, instead of going back to sleep, he rested his cheek on his hand, propped up by his elbow, and watched his beautiful wife sleep with her back turned toward him. Her blonde tresses fell across her cheek and it was all Oliver could do  _not_  to reach out and sweep the hair from her face.

She had one arm on top of the comforter but the sleeve of  _his_  t-shirt fell almost to her elbow. He loved that she defaulted to his t-shirts as her sleepwear. He loved seeing her in his shirts…  _mmm, especially the dress shirts with just a couple of buttons fastened below the center of her chest…_

Oliver jerked slightly at that thought.

Felicity reacted to his movement by turning her body toward his and adjusting the covers.

He could see her neck and a hint of her collar bone. And, her bangs were now falling over her closed eyelids. Instinctively Oliver reached out with just the tip of his index finger and pushed the hair from her forehead. Then, with the slightest, feathery touch, he traced her cheekbone down to the smooth skin just under her earlobe.

_This would be the exact reason she made a point to roll out of bed before him every morning. Otherwise they wouldn't get out of bed…_

Felicity shivered at his touch and her eyelids began fluttering.

Oliver quickly pulled his hand away, did his best to tuck himself into a sleeping position of some sort and closed his eyes. His acting skills must've worked on this occasion because Felicity's next move was stretching to look at the clock.

She sighed, grateful that their baby was apparently still asleep, but she was hoping for a little more snooze time. Still,  _Oliver gets to live another day…_ She smiled, seeing him lying there beside her.

_Yeah, it was good to be home!_

Felicity kissed the tips of her index and middle fingers and ever-so-softly pressed that kiss to her husband's cheek. Still feigning sleep, Oliver nuzzled against her touch but kept his eyes closed and let out a simple, sleepy sigh.

He frowned just a little when she uncovered herself and climbed out of their bed. The he listened as she opened drawers, pulling out her undergarments and went into the closet to get clothes. It was difficult, but he kept his eyes closed until he heard her go into the bathroom and close the door.

At that point he kept his spot warm in the bed but anxiously waited to hear the shower begin. He had promised to help her wake up this morning after she had turned her back on him last night, pouting.

Oliver heard her mumbling to herself. But he knew exactly when she was under the shower head because the mumbling turned to a hummed tune that softly sounded through the door. He loved it when she hummed. Her melodious voice had put him to sleep numerous times and seen him through some difficult nightmares with her arms wrapped around him.

_Reason number 1,687 he was thrilled to be married to her!_

It didn't take much time for him to grab a fresh pair of boxers and a pair of athletic shorts. Oliver quickly made his way almost silently into their master bath. He looked at her profile through the fogged glass door and stood for a minute just admiring her.

_Ok, maybe this was reason number 1,687…nope…this was more like reason number 6 or maybe 7…definitely in the top 10!_

He quickly slipped out of his pajama bottoms and underwear, thankful for his ability to be practically silent. After just another moment he reached for the sliding door and easily moved it enough to open the shower space.

"Oliver!" Felicity gasped as he stepped in with her and grinned. She didn't try to hide her obvious nakedness from him. There was no reason to and it wouldn't have served any purpose at all, other than perhaps making Oliver laugh.

Instead, she stepped back as much as she could and quickly began admiring his body as the hot water landed against his neck and chest, running down over his…

"So,  _you're_  awake," she raised her eyebrows and slowly raised her line of sight back to his face.

Oliver's quirky little grin spawned one of her own as they simply stared at each other.

"Do you remember," he smiled a little more widely at her, "the day you went into labor?" His eyes scanned hers as she gave him the tiniest wink and nodded. "We never got to finish our shower together that evening."

Felicity gave a laugh out loud. "Have we not showered together in the past eight months?" She scrunched her eyebrows together, truly thinking about her own question.

"Nope," Oliver put a hand over her shoulder, placing his palm against the wall of the shower. "Something about one of us needing to be available in case some little someone started crying…" He was very happy when she snaked her arms around his waist and pulled him toward her.

"So what's different this morning?" She wondered, tip-toeing up to place a kiss against his bottom lip.

"I've already given her the early bottle. She's back in bed and I strategically placed that bothersome baby monitor in someone else's room," He grinned more widely when Felicity's mouth dropped open in slight unbelief at his actions.

"You didn't," she smiled with her teeth grazing her lower lip, appreciating his earlier morning plans.

"I did," Oliver assured her before lowering his lips to hers.

"Mmm," this was another of Felicity's hums that he really,  _really_ enjoyed. "If I remember correctly," Felicity whispered and let her hands wander along his lower back and buttocks as she happily allowed Oliver to begin kissing her earlobe and neck, "this was about the point when I started having contractions…"

She sucked in a breath as he sucked on the magical spot where her neck and collarbone met. The spot that Oliver had eyed about an hour earlier; when he became determined to get his lips on that very spot this morning, come hell or high water.

"Mmm-hmmm," he hummed against her skin. "No contractions now…you're not pregnant." He paused for a second. "Are you?" he pulled back and wondered honestly, suddenly seeking confirmation from her visually.

"Mmm-mmm," she answered slowly with a shake of her head, a gentle smile on her lips and eyes closed. Just in case he didn't understand her she opened her eyes and followed with a simple, quiet "No," meeting his gaze, letting him know that there was no disappointment in her heart about that fact, at all.

"Do you suppose," Oliver picked his kisses back up where he had left off, momentarily, "If we hadn't made love – what was it – two or three other times that day, that maybe we could've finished our shower adventure before Ayser decided to make her presence known?"

Felicity giggled, thinking very fondly about the various ways they had made love that day. How she had basically seduced him into taking advantage of her after weeks of limited intimacy. Both of them had been sated before their evening shower, however it had been that last escapade that helped bring their little girl into the world.

"Are you really talking about the birth of our daughter while attempting to leave a hickey on my chest?" Felicity sucked in another long, pleasured breath as Oliver attempted to fulfill her statement.

"Oliver," her breathy voice spurred him on even further. And at the point his lips attached to her already-overstimulated nipple she could do nothing more than let him have his way.

Oliver smiled as he finally felt compelled to let her attempt to complete her thought.

Felicity cleared her throat and took advantage of that one split second to ignore what his mouth and other parts of his body were doing to her at that very moment. "You were invading her space," she licked her lips as Oliver worked his way back up to them.

He chuckled as he dragged his tongue across Felicity's mouth. "You remember," she swallowed and kept talking even though his fingers were beginning to make her practically burn...or maybe it was the memories of that 'labor' day that had her tingling.

"You were, um," she swallowed roughly with the recollections, "knocking on her door a few different ways that day…in the bedroom…in the living room…and the kitchen…" She pulled in a breath and held it as Oliver pulled her toward the other wall of the shower where he could sit comfortably on the built-in seat and still enjoy every part of her.

He laughed as his lips began working again on her chest and stomach. Felicity weaved her fingers into his short hair and massaged his scalp and neck as she leaned her own head back, completely entranced by his touch.

But before his fingers could reach their most teasing point, Felicity remembered something about that special day that had escaped her until that very moment.

"Oliver, stop," she took several shallow breaths, forced her eyelids to open to look at him, and placed her hands on his wrists.

"What? Are you okay?" he looked directly into her eyes with concern.

She nodded and smiled at him. "There was something I really wanted to do in the shower that night but…" Her nose twitched and her lips puckered in her own thoughtful way as she tried to decide how to express her thought.

"But?" Oliver took her hands in his, anxious to know what she was imagining.

"My belly was too big," Felicity smiled. "When you sat down it made me remember…"

Oliver's eyebrows dipped over his nose, still unsure of what his wife was trying to convey.

The scenario became quite clear, however, when she knelt down on her knees in front of him and placed her hands on his thighs.

"You did  _so_  much to take care of me that day…" her hands slowly slid further and further toward his erection. "I  _really_  wanted to give you some of that same attention."

Oliver's head fell backwards with anticipation when she licked her lips and looked up into his face.

They were both thankful for an extra-large water heater that stood the test of time as both of them enjoyed the shower immensely more than two people should.

* * *

The smile etched on Oliver's face was an obvious sign, even to the 15-year-old boy who was in the middle of cooking breakfast when his father-figure emerged from the bedroom.

"Good morning!" Oliver practically chirped.

William rolled his eyes as he stirred the scrambled eggs in the skillet.

"Do you know she wakes up at like 7:45… on the weekend?" William pointed the spatula toward his sister who was sitting content in a playpen at the corner of the dining room. "I hope you're not gonna make a habit of putting that monitor thing in my room. I know you did it."

Oliver smiled even more.

When Ayser spotted her father she gave out a squeal and immediately put her arms in the air wanting Oliver's attention. He didn't hesitate, picking up his little princess and placing kisses on her cheek and neck. Much to his delight she giggled – sounding a lot like her mother, he decided.

"Are you behaving for your big brother?" Oliver's childish voice made Will roll his eyes again. "I just needed to sleep a couple of extra hours since Mom's not home."

At that William snorted a very sarcastic laugh. "Yeah… _riiighhht,"_ he drawled and shook his head.

Oliver tilted his head and looked at him. "Yes,  _Dad?"_ He walked with Ayser toward William in the kitchen. "Am I missing something?"

William kept his back turned toward his father. "Mom got home last night. I heard her when she opened my bedroom door to check on me around midnight. And, her suitcase is sitting right inside the door."

"Oh," Oliver opened the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water and the jug of orange juice. He kept Ayser on his hip as he went about getting a glass and pouring himself a little morning sunshine. "I didn't realize…"

"You need to work on your b.s. stories," William chanced a glance at his father. Oliver now rolled his eyes.

"Well, she got in late. We both needed…" Oliver attempted.

"Nope, strike two," William sighed.

Oliver took a seat on one of the barstools, sitting Ayser in front of him as he watched his son and daughter both. "You want to catch me up on what you apparently know this morning?"

"Not particularly," William lowered the heat under the skillet of eggs and turned around, enjoying the chance to let out some of his teenage sarcasm by needling his father. "Although if you're working on making another baby for our family – "

"Okay, that's about –" Oliver interrupted.

"What?" William calmed his voice deliberately to get under his father's skin. "I brought the baby monitor back to your room expecting the door to be locked, or both of you to be in bed. How was I supposed to know the bathroom was your new hot spot?"

Oliver felt himself blush. There was no way he was going to be angry with his son about this. Not after the amazing wakeup he and Felicity had shared in said bathroom.  _Hot spot_   _really wasn't a bad description…_

"I was helping Mom wash her hair…" he knew it was a feeble attempt.

"Pshhh - Yeah," Will laughed, knowing he had Oliver cornered, "because she needs help with that. I don't suppose she shampooed your beard while you were in there, did she? Is there really room for two in the shower?" He asked a little too curiously.

"Alright!" The voice of Mama Bear wasn't appreciative of the father/son spat that was playing out in the kitchen. "That's about enough from both of you," Felicity walked to Oliver and picked up their daughter who had been babbling all through the men's quarrel.

"Good to know your b.s.'ing hasn't improved much since we met," she shook her head as she looked at Oliver who grinned widely. "Washing my hair?" she rolled her eyes.

"Note to self…" William pointed at them, again using the spatula, " _LOCK your door._ "

"William Oliver Clayton Queen!" Felicity shot back at him with a little more seriousness. "The last thing I need is to have my husband and my 15 year old son arguing over my… _sex life!"_ She took a second to cover Ayser's little ears before whispering the last two words.

Oliver and William looked at each other and laughed but blushingly agreed with Felicity's demand.

"Wait a minute," Oliver turned his face toward Felicity as she was still standing next to him. He quickly stole a kiss from her lips – not bothering to even acknowledge William's eye roll – and then looked between his wife and son. "William…Oliver? Your middle name is Andrew."

William and Felicity exchanged a glance.

"You win," Will nodded, apparently in defeat.

"You win?" Oliver again looked at both of them and then reached to take Ayser from Felicity. At least his youngest child wasn't involved in this exchange.

"I didn't think you really knew my middle name," William admitted. "And, while you weren't with us, I told her I thought it'd be cool to have your name. So, when she yelled at me she would use my adjusted, full name."

"Did she have to yell at you a lot?" Oliver wondered.

Felicity shook her head. "You know I didn't. There were a couple of moments when I tossed it out there to get his attention."

William remembered at least once, in particular, when he was having a rough day. Just hearing Felicity use 'her' name for him had calmed his fears and put him in touch with his 'father' feelings for a little while. He had appreciated it, and was beginning to embrace it even more, now.

"Which leads to the reason that I came home early," Felicity continued and placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder as she stepped around him and toward William who was putting eggs on their plates.

She placed a hand on William's shoulder, making him look at her. "Name change," she stated, rather than asking.

William nodded, realizing that this was the time to talk to his parents about a part of his life that had been haunting him, somewhat, for years.

They took a couple of minutes to get Ayser into her high chair and get breakfast on the table.

As they sat down, Oliver looked at his son and the change in his demeanor. Will had gone from being the bossy, teenage parental type just a few moments ago to a vulnerable little boy.

After they each took a few bites, and Oliver smiled widely with compliments for his son's cooking skills, he looked seriously at William.

"So, what about this name change topic?" Oliver opened the door.

"I'm a Queen, right?" William wiped his mouth and began stating, or asking, the thoughts that had been going through his mind for a few years.

"Yes," Oliver nodded.

"But that's not my name," William shrugged. "Why not?"

Oliver took a deep breath. "You know I wasn't in the picture when you were born. I didn't have a say in naming you. Your mom, Samantha… I didn't have any input."

"Right," William agreed a little solemnly, "but I've been with you and Mom – Felicity – for years now. Samantha, my biological mom, isn't in the picture now. None of her family is even part of my life now. I mean, I knew my grandparents but they're gone. She's gone. I may have started my life as a Clayton, but now I'm a Queen."

He hesitated watching Oliver's reaction to his words. "I want my name to reflect who I am. I don't want Ayser wondering why my last name is different from hers when she gets old enough to realize it. I mean, she's  _my_  sister. I don't want her to have any questions about that."

Oliver nodded at his son and looked at Felicity who reached a hand out to him for an encouraging squeeze. She offered the same treatment for William and he accepted it with a grateful smile.

"I assumed," Oliver looked at Will, "that you wouldn't  _want_ to change your name because you want to keep something of Samantha in your life."

"I remember her," William expressed calmly. "I know she gave birth to me and I understand why you weren't part of our lives. I respect that. But there's still a part of me that's angry with her for not letting you into my life sooner. I know – I really do understand why – but that doesn't mean I'm not angry or hurt about it."

"I'm not saying I want to forget about Samantha. I know she will always be part of my life in some way. But my name…I want to be part of  _this_  family. I want my friends and my teachers and  _your friends_  to know who I am," William continued.

William's heart was on his sleeve. Oliver could see the emotions on Will's face and hear the conviction in his voice. He recognized a part of himself sitting right in front of him at that moment.

Felicity got up from her seat and stepped behind their son. She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind him, bent her head and placed a kiss on the top of William's head. As much as the boy had wanted to have this conversation with his father, he had been afraid to, afraid of the potential rejection that seemed to be lurking in his mind.

"You  _are_  part of this family," Oliver didn't hesitate to raise his tear-filled eyes to meet William's, showing his son that he, too, felt the emotions of this moment. "Don't you ever doubt that, please."

Oliver took a chance and placed his own hand over William's on the table to make his point. He looked between his wife and his son as he shared his thoughts. "If you want to become William Andrew Queen, I will support that decision. And, we will find a way to make that happen."

William smiled a little with his father's agreement, but he needed to go a step further. "Thank you," he started, "but I don't just want to change my last name. I want the name Mom calls me," he glanced up at the woman who was still standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders. "To you," he met Felicity's eyes, "I am 'William Oliver Clayton Queen'. Ayser is 'Ayser Olivia Smoak Queen'. I want to be 'William Oliver _Smoak_ Queen'.

Oliver watched as Felicity removed her now-shaking hands from William's frame. She stepped toward the bar stools at the kitchen counter and stared toward the two men at the table. William hadn't shared that part of his wishes with her. Hearing his thoughts put her heart in her throat, without an appropriate response.

"Felicity?" Oliver watched her closely, easily noticing the tears in her eyes.

"Mom?" William matched his father's sentiment and slight concern.

"I…" She tried to get words to form. "I didn't know…I didn't realize…You call me 'Mom' and that's…amazing…" She smiled a tearful smile in William's direction with a shrug of one shoulder. "I'm just surprised…and honored…"

William got up from his chair and went to her immediately, offering a hug and letting her cry just a little on his shoulder.

Felicity accepted the hug and squeezed him more tightly than normal. But after a few seconds she pushed him away gently and put her hands on his cheek.

"But you need to keep Clayton in your name," she looked at him seriously. "Will, I understand what you're saying. And I am beyond honored that you want to have my name as well. But keeping Clayton as part of your name is a way to honor Samantha. It's a way to let go of your anger and hurt feelings and remember that  _she_  loved you  _so_  much. She gave you life and raised you the best way that she knew how. Don't hold that against her. Embrace it. 'Clayton' is part of who you are."

"But," William wanted to argue with her.

Felicity shook her head and took her hands from his cheeks, moving them to link with William's hands. She quickly let go with her left hand and held it up in front of William's face, showing him her wedding band and engagement ring.

"I am a Queen. If we change your name to 'William Oliver Clayton Queen', you and I will have the same last name. Me, you, Dad, Ayser…matching last names. You are my son. You are  _our_  son. You are Ayser's big brother. Yeah?" She nodded with the hope that he would accept her compromise.

William looked at the floor for a moment, giving Felicity's hand a small squeeze before releasing it and looking back at her and over to Oliver. Felicity and William waited for his reaction.

"William… _Oliver_ …Clayton…Queen," Oliver spoke slowly, thinking of each name as he said it. "Was Andrew your grandfather's name? Samantha's dad?"

Will shook his head. "No, his name was Jacob William. Everyone called him Bill. Mom- Samantha – wanted William because that's the name that was more familiar. Andrew… I'm not sure where Andrew came from."

Oliver nodded and took a deep breath looking at Felicity who was now sitting on a bar stool and William standing beside her.

When Ayser whined in her high chair William didn't hesitate to step to her and pull her into his arms. He took the little girl back to Felicity but stood holding her as they continued looking at Oliver.

Oliver Queen looked at the three amazing people in front of him. He couldn't imagine life without them and was about to burst with happiness, sharing this family with them. He was amazed at the life that Felicity had brought to him and how she had allowed their family to grow and love.

He raised himself from the chair, placed his hands on his hips and came toward the others. He smiled at them easily, trying not to let the tears in his eyes spill over.

"This is what you  _want_?" He looked at William directly. "Because there is no going back if we do this."

William smiled, "Why would I want to go back? I want to be a Queen. I'm your son and I want the world to know that."

Felicity couldn't help the verbal, happy cry that escaped her throat. She placed a kiss on William's cheek, one on Ayser's forehead and another, a little more lingering, on Oliver's lips.

William rolled his eyes and looked at Ayser. "Don't look," he put his hand over the little girl's eyes with a laugh.

Oliver smiled at his wife. "You're okay with this?"

Felicity nodded.

She took a second to look at the members of  _her_  family with gratefulness.

A decade before she would've never pictured this for herself. Five years prior she might have pictured it but wouldn't let herself believe. But in this moment, she just had to.

They were there, together … being Queen.

**The End**


End file.
